Mini Moony
by lilyyuri
Summary: Sequel to 'Jaded', Harry and Remus are married and are going to adopt a child called Aaron.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Yeah, right…

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, right…

**Summery:** This is a sequel to 'Jaded'. Basically it tells the story of how Harry and Remus came to adopt Aaron. So, main pairing would be Harry/Remus, with humorous appearances from the rest of the Marauders and Seamus along with lots of Draco and Hermione barging in. This story line takes place about two months before the epilogue of 'Jaded'.

**A/N:** For those of you who aren't sure what's going on, you don't have to read the entire fic of 'Jaded' but reading the last chapter would probably sort you out just fine. Give it a go.

**Beta:** The amazing Dragon!

**Mini-Moony- chapter one**

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Hermione rushed into the café, balancing on her tiptoes to spot her lunch date. When she finally located the black haired man she sighed in relief and worked her way through the bustling restaurant. She was late. So late, in fact, that it was only sheer luck that Harry was still present. With a small huff she sank on to a chair and gave Harry an apologetic smile,

"I'm so sorry I'm late…" Harry shrugged and rolled his eyes, ever since they started having these Tuesday lunches there wasn't a single Tuesday that Hermione wasn't abysmally late. At first it had irked Harry to no end, but now he just learned to take it all in stride. Hell, he was lucky Hermione even managed to squeeze him into her busy schedule, for an entire hour!

"That alright. I already ordered your Caesar salad and spring water." Hermione smiled in thanks and dug right in.

"Gods, it's a nightmare at that hospital," She explained between bites, "You wouldn't believe what utter crap people come up with so that they could spend wizard taxes on!" Harry smiled and nodded absently, while working the delicate mission of separating the meat off the bones of his steamed fish. Hermione always complained about the workload and the patients but Harry knew that she'd never ever trade her position as a healer for anything in the world. "I mean, just today, I had three cases of people thinking that they were attacked by _Crumple-Horned Snorkacks_, _Three_! I swear, if I ever get my hands on that horrible Xenophilius Lovegood!" Harry smiled again, things down at the 'Quibbler' sure got more interesting now that Luna joined her father as co-editor. "Oh, Harry, there's something I need to talk to you about, is there a chance you and Remus could drop in my office tomorrow morning?" Harry rolled his eyes at this, relentless, that's what the girl was.

"Hermione, if this about the stupid fertility thing again…" He started with an exasperated sigh. It was amazing how much energy and time Hermione put into the idea of him and Remus being able to have their own baby, especially when neither Harry nor Remus gave it much thought themselves.

"No, it's not. Though I still think that if you were to be doing 'it' during the full moon…" She began and Harry clamped his hands over his ears,

"Argh! Stop! I already told you a thousand times! We. Don't. Go. That. Way!" Hermione daintily cleaned her fingers with her napkin, completely unfazed by Harry's reactions,

"You can be a wolf too you know." Harry shook his head and rubbed his temples, taking a deep breath and biting the inside of his cheek so that he wouldn't answer, and subsequently, encourage her. "Look, could you just come?"

"Yeah, sure, Remus has a free morning tomorrow, I'm sure I'll manage to drag him along. What time do you want us there?"

"Nine a.m." Harry nodded, he loved Hermione, he really did- she was one of his oldest friends, wait, scratch that, she was his _oldest_ friend, at least one that was still talking to him, but sometimes he just really wanted to smack her! "Ooh, look, they have éclairs! Do you think they're any good?" Hermione asked excitedly, after consulting the desert menu, and Harry snorted,

"Of course they are, we made them." Hermione's brown eyes rounded up like saucers and her mouth dropped open,

"Really?"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you we started catering for a few restaurants around Diagon Alley?" Harry asked while arranging his cutlery and refusing to look at his friend lest the smug smile that was tickling the corners of his mouth took over,

"Shut up! No way! You didn't tell me you little mongrel!" Hermione cried and punched Harry's arm, making the latter flinch a little and smile broadly,

"You're always too busy," Harry shrugged, "And get this, we supply to Florean Fortescue!" Hermione's eyes were practically sparkling at that,

"You guys are supplying sweets to the ice-cream shop?"

"Well, it's only biscuits and ice-cream waffles at the moment…" Harry said with a shrug, but Hermione wasn't fooled, the way he was practically glowing told her that her friend was more than a little proud of his achievements. And, by all means, he should be! Florean Fortescue was known for being far too posh to let just anyone dip their hands in his gelato bowl, as they say.

"Wow, sweetie, that's wonderful. Hell, if you made the éclairs here, then I simply _must_ have them." Hermione said generously and Harry snorted, simply must have them, right… it was little wonder that all Hermione ever admitted to put into her system was salads, when she munched on pretty much everything that came out of Harry and Seamus' shop, courtesy of her loving, doting and more importantly, the biggest sweet-tooth in whole of London boyfriend- Draco Malfoy.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry walked into the bedroom, towelling his hair vigorously while trying to keep the towel wrapped around his waist from falling to the floor. Too busy to watch where he was going the bed suddenly sprung to surprise the young man,

"Ow, bugger!" He cried and tried to lean over to inspect the damage to his calf, while maintaining hold of the two towels. Remus didn't even look up from his book,

"Watch out, Cailean." Harry glared at him from under his towel but the glare was lost on his husband who didn't seem at all bothered that his spouse was suffering. Harry dropped his towels and narrowed his eyes, well, that sort of disregard would not do! Quick as a hunting lion he pounced, knocking all the air out of both himself and Remus. Remus groaned loudly, not that he much minded having his husband sprawled naked over him, but he would appreciate not having his book digging painfully into his ribs in the process.

"You're reading Dan Brown again?" Harry made a face when Remus finally managed to extract his book from between them, "Move on to something tasteful! Like Agatha Christie." He suggested generously while making himself comfortable on top of his husband.

"What's wrong with Dan Brown? He's fun." Remus argued indigenously, feeling rather miffed that his literature choices were being questioned. So what if he was a respectful teacher? So what if he was a scholar, smart and witty, even people like him had the right to read trash novels for fun! "Besides, Agatha Christie is too complicated, there are far too many characters in her books. By the time you finally figure out who was the killer you forget who was murdered in the first place!"

"That is truly tragic." Harry intoned gravely and Remus retaliated by pocking him in the ribs,

"Shut up." Harry squirmed a little, trying to get away from those devilishly long and pointed fingers, before he managed to grab Remus' hands and pin them to the mattress,

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Remus shrugged,

"As it is my morning off I was rather hoping I'd stay home and ravish my beautiful husband." Harry wriggled his brows playfully at that; Wednesday was definitely his favourite day of the week. It was his day off and Remus' class-free morning and pretty much the only day in the week the two of them could wake up together and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Though, to be truly honest, most Wednesdays they simply didn't bother with breakfast.

"Hermione wants us to come by her office at nine a.m. tomorrow…" Harry said with a little pout and Remus rolled his eyes,

"Good gods, that woman never gives up, does she? What is it now? She wants to give us diagrams on best positions to conceive? She's relentless! _And_ mental!" Harry leaned over and kissed the tip of Remus' nose, because frankly, he was just too adorable to resist.

"She says it's something else." Remus' shoulders sagged a little,

"Oh, then I suppose it's alright." Harry chuckled low in his throat, his whole body vibrating with the sound, and leaned closer again, this time for a proper kiss,

"Hmm, you said something about ravishing thy husband…"

"I _was_ going to save it for tomorrow morning but as we're going to be busy…" Before Harry could respond Remus flipped him over easily, blankets and all. Harry shrieked in surprise, and soon found himself out of breath with laughter as he and Remus tried to untangle the mass of cloth they found themselves wrapped in. soon the comforter and sheets were strewn all over the floor and the two of them were finally, blissfully pressed skin to skin.

The shrill ring tone of David Bowie's "Space oddity" caused both men to jump apart in a hurry. If there was one thing Harry was glad for, it was the fact that the wizarding world started to embrace the muggle world, post-war. Of course, most of the 'embracing' included an almost stampede like inrush after every electronic device, from TV's and DVD's to cell phones and MP3 players. Severus Snape called it compensation and guilt, Harry was just glad he could talk to his friends without the added 'bonus' of getting all dirty and sooty from the floo. But even with all the technology it never failed to make both he and Remus jump up guiltily every time the phone rang. Remus reached over to the bedside table, grabbing the little offending gadget and flipped it open, barking into the mouthpiece,

"_Yes?_ Pads… Do you have some sort of intuition that tells you when we're about to fuck or are you just watching us?!... Pervert! No. no, we don't want to go out clubbing… Sirius, it's a week night, some of us actually have to get up to work tomorrow morning… So what if I have a morning off? No!... Siriuuuuuuussssssssss…" Remus was practically whining at this point, before he handed the phone to Harry, "Here, you talk to him." Harry shook his head fondly, taking the offered phone,

"Siri… You know we both love you very much, but kindly bugger off so we can too. Bye bye." With that he snapped the phone shut and quirked his eyebrow at Remus, who smiled sheepishly,

"What? He's my best friend; I can't just hang up in his face…" Harry's response was holding out his hands, spreading his forefinger and thumbs, while touching the thumbs together to form the letter 'W',

"Whatever, Pookybear, I believe you were about to fuck me…"

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** I know this is not exactly following Seamus' words from the last chapter of 'Jaded', but the way I see it, Seamus' really a big queen with a dramatic flare to rival only Draco's. So this is how things _really_ happened.

The whole conception during the full moon was actually my first idea to this sequel (before Aaron and everything), but eventually it turned into a little anecdote. Unless, of course… You'd like… to see it happen…? Let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter two**

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"You're late." Hermione looked at her watch, giving the two men a disapproving look. In all honesty, it was only 09:07 but in the world of Hermione Granger, head of research for the I

Incurable Maladies Ward at St. Mungo's hospital seven minutes were practically a lifetime.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Harry just wanted to finish his latest creation." Remus smiled at her, as he and Harry sat themselves in the comfortable armchairs in front of her desk. Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes,

"Typical."

"Don't be mean, Mione, it's a really good cake. It's a mango-strawberry tart." Harry said proudly, while Hermione tried not to show the revulsion on her face,

"Sounds a treat…"

"Hey! Remus liked it!"

"Yeah, because getting someone with a sweet tooth as big as Remus' to like what the love of his life cooked up is _so_ hard…" Every cake that crossed Harry's fevered mind ended up being tested and tasted by Remus and usually Draco as well. Hermione kept arguing that the two of them made the absolutely worst test group imaginable since a sugary food they didn't like was simply not in existence but Harry insisted they provided positive reinforcement which was more important than what the cake actually tasted like.

"I knew you'd say that," Harry said with a bright smile and produced a small box from his pocket. Tapping it with his wand to enlarge it, "That's why I brought you some. Tell me what you think." Hermione glared at him, shaking her head, she should have known better, really she should have…

"We don't have time for this now," She rose from her desk purposefully, and signalled the two to do the same, "Come on, there's someone I'd like you to meet." The two of them reluctantly followed her through the maze of halls that made up St. Mungo's hospital until they reached a non-descript door at the paediatric ward. Harry approached the door looking through the glass, inside the room sat a lone child, his dark head bent and his entire being absorbed in his art work. Strewn around him were paper and colouring pens, which the boy completely ignored in favour of the black and red pens.

"He's cute…" Harry breathed, his heart going out to the lonely boy whose black hair and small stature reminded him so much of himself as a small boy.

"He was bitten a week ago." Hermione said softly and Harry's jaw tightened. Beside him Remus went completely stiff, his eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring.

"Is that why we're here?" He growled through clenched teeth, "To give him a werewolf heart to heart?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact it is," Hermione answered bravely, refusing to let the seething werewolf get to her, "He's name is Aaron, his parents are squibs that live in muggle London. He was brought here yesterday morning, completely shell-shocked. We've established that he's suffering from PTS (Post-Traumatic Stress). He refuses to communicate with anyone and it's nearly impossible to tell how much of his condition he understands. That is why I wanted you to meet him, preferably before the next full moon."

"How old is he?" Harry's eyes were glued to the boy's form, his face soft and full of compassion,

"Nearly four years old."

"Where are his parents?" Remus asked suspiciously. Hermione bit her lip and shook her head sadly and Remus' clenched his fists, his fury returning with a vengeance, "Bastards!"

"What? What is it?" Harry tore his eyes from Aaron to face his husband and friend,

"His parents abandoned him." Remus replied tartly, and Harry's jaw dropped in shock,

"They didn't!"

"They did." Hermione shrugged, "But that's not the worst part. When they brought Aaron here they severed all ties to him, he has absolutely no recollection of who his parents were or of his life prior to the biting."

"That's horrible!" Harry exclaimed and turned to look back at the boy in the room. "How can people do that, and to a child…"

"I know," Hermione echoed his sentiments, and for a long moment they both simply stared at the boy. Eventually she shook herself from the moroseness and turned to Remus, who was the only one still in attention. "Look, I know it's a lot to ask as a favour and you have every right to say no and I won't blame you, but I would really appreciate it if you could try and talk to him." Remus tossed another glance at the door and at Harry staring through it,

"We'll see." Hermione nodded,

"I have to go back to work. Good luck." And with a sympathetic squeeze of Harry's shoulder she left the two standing alone in the corridor. Remus leaned against the wall, examining his husband with the same intensity that Harry was examining the boy. This was a new side to Harry that he hadn't seen before, and Remus reached out his hand, sliding his palm into Harry's. Harry turned from the door, smiling softly,

"What is it?"

"I just realized why Hermione is so persistent about the whole conception idea," to Harry's frown he responded, "You want a family."

"Yeah, I do. I always have." Remus opened his arms and Harry gladly snuggled into his husband's embrace, resting his head on the firm shoulder,

"Then why are you so against Hermione's ideas?" Harry rolled his eyes,

"You mean besides the fact that my best _female_ friend is constantly suggesting we have kinky sex? It just feels weird. I never imagined I'd have to carry the family I wanted myself. Besides, I've got you, and let's face it, having Sirius around is like having a grown and very untrained puppy." Remus snickered; having to deal with Sirius _was_ quite a handful. It seemed that he had finally succumbed to the twelve years he spent in prison plus the three behind the veil and got permanently stuck in a 19 years old state of mind. This was quite fun when going out to parties or feeling really silly and in the mood for pranks (which is to say whenever Sirius went to visit Fred and George Weasley) but most of the time it was rather tiresome.

"That's not enough, you need a proper child, someone who wouldn't try and get you drunk every other day!"

"Hmm, that _would_ be nice. What about you?" Remus looked at the boy in the room thoughtfully,

"I never thought I could have one. Hell, I never thought I'd fall in love again after Jaime, so I guess anything is possible."

"Would you like to go in with me?" Harry asked softly, and Remus shook his head,

"No, I can't. It's… I wasn't much bigger than this when I got bitten, I… it's just too hard…" He rubbed the back of his head, feeling completely lost. It _was_ too much for him, and Remus hated feeling overwhelmed. Changes were never a good thing in the eyes of the werewolf, and Remus liked routine, and now, just when his life were going as perfect as he had ever hoped for things were tilting off scale again and that unnerved him.

Besides, his stomach was churning with anger at the unfairness of things. It was hard to decide who to place the blame upon, the parents were scared, that was understandable, but deserting a child was unforgivable, no matter what happened to that child. Plus, the ministry _was_ working on werewolves rights and regulations, especially since Arthur Weasley came into office, but it was a tedious process that was likely to take several years before there was an actual change seen and in the meanwhile there was still quite a large number of werewolves out there who did not have access to monthly wolfsbane and much less self-control than Remus and thus cases like Aaron's could still happen.

"That's ok, Pookybear, I understand." Harry said softly, biting his lip with uncertainty. He felt drawn to the boy, he wanted to talk to him and comfort him and bring a smile to his face again, but on the other hand he didn't want to leave a shaken Remus out alone. "I want to go inside, if that's ok." Remus smiled and kissed Harry's forehead,

"Of course it is. I'll be right here when you come out." Harry nodded and took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside.

Aaron must have heard the door creaking open but he never lifted his head from his work. Hermione said he was shell-shocked, and although Harry didn't have much experience with that but his instincts told him he should tread carefully and talk quietly.

"Hello Aaron, my name is Harry." The boy still didn't raise his head but Harry noticed the pen stopped moving over the page. He made his way carefully to the table and sat down on the floor, crossed legged and looked at the boy. For a long moment nothing happened, but eventually Aaron, consumed by curiosity over the strange man who wasn't trying to ask him question after question, lifted his head and looked cautiously at Harry.

When Aaron lifted his head Harry smiled wide, hoping to reassure the boy into being comfortable with him. He studied the face of the small boy and felt his heart clenching painfully. Aaron looked just as he had at that age. With those tousled black locks and bright eyes, which were as haunted as his were at that age. He smiled and looked levelly at the boy who seemed to be giving him a thorough examination of his own.

"I'm a pastry chef," Harry told Aaron cheerfully, hoping his line of work would be interesting enough to a four years old child, "I make cakes, and cookies and all sorts of yummy things." Aaron's eyes grew wide at the thought, and Harry suddenly wished he hadn't given his last creation to Hermione, she would never be able to appreciate it properly anyway. "I have a shop in Diagon Alley; it's called the 'Sugardust'. It's a really pretty place, the walls are yellow and green and orange and we have all the sweet pastries anyone could ever want. And we make new ones all the time. I guess we're the pastry version of Willy Wonka…" Aaron giggled at the obvious enthusiasm of the man, and working in a pastry shop, that sounded absolutely divine.

"You make chocolate fudge?" He asked in a timid little voice and Harry beamed at him, excited to get a reaction,

"Yes, of course. I don't want to brag, but we make the best fudge _ever_! Would you like me to bring you some tomorrow?" Aaron nodded his head vigorously, "Good, then that's settled," He confirmed, placing his elbows on the table and his head on his folded arms, "Can I see your paintings?" Aaron looked at the page under his hands, biting his lip nervously before he nodded slowly. Harry smiled again and pulled one sheet to him carefully. It was hard to tell what the picture was meant to be of, Aaron being only four years of age after all but Harry could tell it was a scared picture, full of angry black and red lines that he figured must represent the trauma Aaron had endured. Harry was a little lost for words, he wasn't much used to deal with this sort of situations, but he tried his best,

"You want to talk about those pictures?" He asked softly and Aaron shook his head, his whole frame retreating back and shrinking.

"It's ok; you don't have to tell me." Harry said softly, desperately wanting to gather the small boy in his arms and reassure him but not daring to make a move that would scare the boy further. "Don't be afraid, I'm not going to do anything, or tell anyone about our conversation." Aaron bowed his head, still hunched and frightened. For a long time the two sat there, Harry looking concerned at the boy and Aaron battling his inner demons.

"Bad wolf," He whispered so lowly Harry had to lean in to hear him, "Big teeth…" The small shoulders began to shake and without thinking Harry moved across the table and gathered him in his arms, rocking the boy softly as he started to sob quietly,

"Shhh, baby, it's alright, you're alright. You're safe. It's ok." He murmured softly over and over again, secretly quite pleased that the little boy clung to his shirt and cried out his misery. It was quite amazing to see that a few simple words could undo Aaron so easily. He suspected Hermione's clinical nature was probably causing her to see Aaron simply as a case study of lycanthropy rather than a boy, a young, small scared-out-of-his-wits boy. After a long time the sobs started to die out and Harry looked down to see Aaron had fallen asleep, probably exhausted by everything he's been through over the past week. Harry kept rocking the boy and rubbing his back soothingly. He didn't want to leave, he didn't want Aaron to wake up and find himself alone once more.

"Hey." Harry looked up to see Remus crouching beside him, bringing his thumbs to brush Harry's cheeks. Harry blinked a little, he hadn't even notice when _he_ had started crying. He sniffled and smiled,

"Hey, is it time to go?" Remus shrugged and shook his head, sitting down and putting his arms around Harry and the boy,

"Not if you don't want to." He assured Harry, who leaned back with gratefulness. "Are you alright?"

"He told me about the wolf." Slowly and carefully Harry brushed away the locks of hair that stuck to the wet cheeks, murmuring a spell to rid Aaron from the aftermath of his crying. "He let me hug him and he cried. I think he was more scared of Hermione's questions than anything. Poor boy had gone through so much and all she did was giving him the third degree. I love Hermione, don't get me wrong, but she's horrible with children." Remus nodded,

"Yeah, she is. You two seem to get along just fine." He observed, looking at the sleeping boy in Harry's arms,

"He's adorable. I promised I'd bring him some fudge tomorrow."

"You're coming again tomorrow?" Remus asked, not entirely surprised. In fact, he was a little bit surprised that Harry hadn't insisted they take the boy home immediately. Not that Hermione would ever allow that, of course, but Remus knew he'd be unable to refuse his husband when the time came to take Aaron with them. In a way it was funny, because never in his wildest dream had he dreamt he'd become a father in the space of an hour. But observing Harry through the glass door he realized he'd better bring himself up to speed with the idea and fast.

"I have to. I can't leave him alone, he trusts me." Remus sighed and placed his chin on Harry's shoulder, bringing his hand around his husband to run a light finger on the soft cheek that was the only part of Aaron's face visible against Harry's chest,

"I think we should head home, we have a lot to talk about." Harry's head snapped up, looking sideways at his husband,

"Are you mad at me?"

"No. We just need to figure out which room we're going to put Aaron in." Harry's eyes grew wide and happy at that, his face breaking into a huge grin,

"You really mean it?"

"Would you let this boy be left alone and uncared for?"

"No!" Remus smiled,

"Then I guess we don't have a choice." Harry frowned a little, he hadn't _consciously_ thought about taking Aaron home with them, though now that Remus said it out loud it was clear to Harry that giving the boy up was not an option.

"But are you sure about this? I mean, I know how _I _feel about him, but are _you_ ok with it?"

"I will be," At Harry's frown Remus tried to amend his statement, "This is just something I haven't thought of before, raising children, but in all honest, the idea is growing on me… And if we can help a poor werewolf boy by giving him a happy home and give him some sense of self-worthiness than I'm all for it."

"I love you, you know that." Remus smiled happily,

"Yeah, I do."

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** Like I may have mentioned before (in other stories) I don't really know what kids this age are like (I used to work with kids, but they were usually six to twelve in age…), so any imperfections in Aaron's behaviour are due to this. Therefore, don't flame me, and just roll with it because it's not the most important bit.


	3. Chapter 3

Mini-Moony

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter three**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

As Remus suspected, as soon as Hermione got wind of Harry's plans for Aaron she put her foot down and exercised all of her authority to keep the boy in the hospital. Not out of spite, of course, but because of rules and regulations. There was nothing more important in the world of Hermione Granger than rules and regulations, and nobody, not even her best friend would go around that, not on Hermione's watch!

The next morning, as soon as he and Seamus finished their morning baking and opened the shop Harry packed some fudge and cookies and went to St. Mungo's. Remus had promised to drop by as soon as he could so that Harry could properly introduce him to Aaron. Looking into the room Harry was rather disappointed to find Aaron in the exact same position as he was yesterday and he truly hoped the boy remembered him, and more important, remembered him favourably.

Harry opened the door slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible so that he wouldn't startle the boy. He took another moment to watch and was quite pleased to see that Aaron has added yellow to his red and black colouring pens. This had to be a good sign, right?

"Hey little one." He said quietly. Aaron lifted his head from his work and his eyes immediately lit up at the sight of Harry. He dropped his pen and bit his lip uncertainly, not sure how to proceed, when Harry crouched down and opened his arms and Aaron flew into them. Harry lifted the boy up easily, swirling him around before he walked them both to an armchair in the corner.

"Did you bring me chocolate?" Aaron's voice was soft and timid and full of hope. Harry smiled and dug into his pocket,

"Of course I have." He said proudly and produced the parcel he brought from the 'Sugardust'. Aaron's entire body seemed to be beaming at the sight of the chocolate and he eagerly accepted the piece of sticky fudge Harry offered him. Harry watched in amusement as the boy started eating, gulping down the rich chocolate and giving out little pleasurable hums. Those hums could be really addictive, Harry realized, and he knew he'd have to tread extra carefully if he didn't want Aaron to end up weighing seven stones before the age of four.

"There's someone I want you to meet today," Harry started carefully, taking advantage of the fact that Aaron's mind was firmly on the chocolate, "He's a werewolf, like you." At that Aaron froze, his frame once more shrinking, and Harry wrapped his arms more tightly around the boy, "Don't worry, Remus is a very good man, he's not going to harm you. He's going to help you, alright?" Looking straight into Harry's eyes Aaron nodded slowly. Harry smiled broadly and dropped a little kiss on the boy's head. Aaron frowned, he didn't remember much apart from the horrible night when the bad monster attacked him, but this felt nice, being held securely in the arms of someone who was nice to him and cared for him. Gratefully he snuggled further into Harry's embrace and finished the last bit of his chocolate, licking his fingers studiously clean.

"Would you like me to read you a story?" Harry asked, trying to sound casual and on top of his game, but the truth was, he was as nervous as a first year before the sorting ceremony after talking to Fred and George. Aaron nodded vigorously and slid from Harry's lap and bounced to the shelves in the corner containing a verity of children's books, both muggle and magical. Harry watched as Aaron stood frowning and biting his lip trying to decide which story he wanted more, and couldn't curb the smile that was spreading on his face. He loved seeing Aaron happy, and he loved that he was making the boy happy. He wasn't very adapted to deal with small children- after all, the only experience he got was dealing with Cleo Snape and she was one of the easiest children he'd ever had the fortune to meet- luckily she'd inherited more from Tonks than just her metamorphmagus abilities. Aaron brought out all the nurturing that Harry didn't even knew he had in him, and more than anything he wanted to protect the boy from the world.

At long last Aaron reached for a book, pulled it out and returned to Harry, climbing back on his lap, while trying to keep his hold on the book. Harry took the book from Aaron, it was Doctor Seuss' classic 'Fox in socks'. Once Aaron was snuggled comfortably against him again, nibbling a cookie, Harry opened the book and started to read.

Remus walked into the paediatric ward in St. Mungo's, slipping in and looking around him, doing his best to avoid Hermione. He really didn't feel like dealing with her right now, telling him that he couldn't just waltz into her domain and start making a mess- stealing her patients was her exact wording and Remus decided he best avoid her altogether then get into another fight with the feisty young woman. The brainy Hogwarts student had morphed into a confident woman who wasn't afraid to butt heads even with former professors!

When he approached the room Aaron was in he could hear Harry's voice, full of laughter and answered by enthusiastic childish giggles as Harry read aloud,

"When a fox is in the bottle where the tweetle beetles battle with their paddles in a puddle on a noodle-eating poodle, THIS is what they call...

...a tweetle beetle noodle poodle bottled paddled muddled duddled fuddled wuddled fox in socks, sir!"

Remus slowly opened the door, peering behind it to see Harry and Aaron sitting on an armchair, reading 'Fox in socks' together and laughing their heads off. Remus smiled and let himself just observe for a while, not wanting to disturb the happy scene. If he had doubts before as to whether this was a smart move or not, they were all gone now. There was no way Harry was going to give up on that boy and seeing them together like that, Remus realized he didn't want to give up either. Just the look on Harry's face was making it all worthwhile.

"Hi." He said carefully as soon as Harry closed the book. Two pairs of eyes turned to the door, one still laughing and twinkling and the other darkening with fear and suspicion. Remus tried to quench the disappointment that was coursing through his body at Aaron's reaction. He had truly hoped that Aaron would accept him, but he knew at the same time that it wouldn't be easy. Harry's arms instinctively tightened around the small boy when he felt Aaron's body tensing. Leaning forward he whispered in the boy's ear,

"Aaron, remember I told you about Remus? This is him. He's here to meet you." Gesturing for his spouse to come nearer Harry turned the boy in his arms, gazing intently into Aaron's blue orbs, "Remus just wants to be your friend, as much as I do, alright?" Remus kneeled next to the armchair and reached out his hand,

"Hello, Aaron, it's really nice to meet you." Aaron looked at the open and slightly nervous face before him and let go of his fear. After all, the other man seemed as nervous of him as he was of the man. He sank further into Harry, seeking warmth and security from his friend and extended his small hand towards Remus. Remus breathed out a sigh of relief and shook Aaron's hand gently. The two smiled tentatively at each other, while Harry watched them, practically beaming.

"Tell him about the book we've been reading." Harry encouraged Aaron, and the boy took the book from Harry's hand and showed the cover to Remus,

"It's a fox, and he's got blue socks." He told Remus smiling widely, still finding the joke funny. Remus grinned wide, part in relief and part in genuine joy at the look on Aaron's face,

"Yes, you certainly don't see this sort of thing every day…" The two shared another grin, this one more easy and carefree. Remus shot a quick glance at Harry, who was positively glowing with happiness and leaned in toward Aaron, lowering his voice in a conspiratorial manner, "How about we all split this place? We could go have lunch in Diagon Alley before we have to bring you back here." Aaron's eyes grew like saucers at hearing that, being outside… He hasn't been outside since… since _that_ night… and now, now he was going to go out and have proper lunch with his new friends!

"Are you sure we can do that?" Harry whispered to Remus, and the older man winked at him,

"Sure, why not? Hermione knows he's going to be with us, and we'll bring him back before tea time." Harry bit his lip, as much as he wanted to take Aaron out, he really didn't want to get in trouble with Hermione. When Remus saw the hesitation on Harry's face, and the rapidly clouding face of Aaron he reached an executive decision, "Look, we'll leave Hermione a note and my wand as collateral, ok?" Out of excuses to refuse Harry nodded slowly and both Remus and Aaron whooped happily.

"Should we invite Sirius?" Harry asked as the three of them stood inside the elevator, going down to the hospital's lobby. Aaron was holding tight to both Harry and Remus' hands, looking around him wide eyed and excited at the adventure,

"Not unless you want to scar the boy for life…" Remus answered easily, "We'll introduce Aaron to everyone when the time is right." Both of them nodded, the 'right time' would not be until they've brought Aaron home with them and signed all the papers, making the boy legally theirs.

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**A/N:** BTW- if any of you have ideas they'd like to see portrayed in this story, you're more than welcome to send them to me. I promise to consider them with the outmost seriousness and if they fit with where I think this story is going, I'll be sure to add them (credit and all).


	4. Chapter 4

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter four**

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Harry stepped out of the elevator into the paediatric ward, whistling softly under his breath. He was quite pleased with himself. He'd managed to create what he felt was the perfect cake for Aaron, incorporating all the boy's favourites- chocolate, jam and fresh raspberries. He balanced the cake box on his left hand while he reached for the doorknob to Aaron's room, smiling at the thought of how happy the child is going to be.

"Aaron, Cana, I've got something for you…" He called in, bracing himself to be bombarded by the human cannon ball Aaron had become whenever Harry or Remus entered his room, only to be answered by resounding silence.

In the passing fortnight, ever since they'd met Aaron both Harry and Remus spent nearly every minute they could with the boy, who quickly grew to love and trust them both. So far Hermione wouldn't even hear about taking Aaron away from the hospital, not until the boy was claimed healthy enough to go anywhere, as she put it. But Harry was certain they'd wear the system down eventually, he only hoped it'll be before the full moon struck.

It was now a week before the full moon and Harry was starting to lose faith. He had already informed Hermione that if he couldn't bring Aaron to their home he and Remus would camp out in the hospital on the night of the full moon to be with the boy. Harry placed the cake box on the nearest table and peered around the room, dread growing by the second,

"Aaron, love, don't hide from me, I've got cake for you…" When Aaron didn't pop out from behind the sofa at the mention of cake Harry knew something was awfully wrong. Taking a deep breath to try and squash down the panic he turned and left the room, cake in hand and went to seek out the only person who was likely to have answers for him.

Hermione rubbed her temples tiredly, the day hasn't even started and she knew it would be a bad one. As soon as the front desk informed her that Harry was on his way up she knew it would be a matter of minutes before he came barging through her door, and sure enough…

"Where is he?" Hermione took a deep breath and tried to plaster on a smile. After all this was the wizarding world hero, the man who rid them of Voldemort and an angry Harry Potter was never much fun to deal with.

"Harry, please sit down and relax." Hermione said in a calming voice, trying to bring her friend down from his rage just like she had during their school days. Only now, the 24 years old man was much less prone to listen than when he was at 15.

"Where the hell is he, Hermione?"

"Cardiff." Harry's jaw dropped in shock. Of all the possible answers to his question, 'Cardiff' seemed the least likely. He sank defeated into an armchair,

"What? What the hell is Aaron doing in Cardiff?"

"We couldn't keep him here any longer; we had to send him away." Hermione tried to explain, as calmly as she possibly could, but under her desk she was grabbing her wand tightly, ready to stun Harry if things got out of hand.

"Send him away… What the hell are you on about? Why is Aaron in Cardiff?" Harry leaned forward and speaking slowly and deliberately, trying to keep control of his anger.

"A team of healers declared him well enough to leave the hospital and since he doesn't have any family to come and collect him we sent him to the nearest available magical orphanage,"

"Which happened to be the one in bloody Cardiff?" Harry asked incredulously, "And what the hell do you mean he didn't have any family to come and take him? Why didn't you call _me_?"

"Harry, please…" Hermione ran her hand over her face tiredly; this was exactly why she tried to avoid dealing with the paediatric ward as much as she could- the parents. And in this case Harry wasn't even the official guardian of the boy! "You know damn well that I couldn't go over the law and simply let you stroll in and take Aaron away! We have laws in this country for a reason!" Harry shook his head in disgust,

"Don't give me the legal bullshit, Hermione! Just because your boyfriend is a bloody arguer doesn't mean you know everything about the law. And I wasn't going to 'stroll in and take Aaron away', but it would have been nice if you could have bothered to pick up the bloody phone and let me know that he'd been moved!" Frustrated beyond measure Harry jumped from his chair and started pacing the room, "Fuck, I can't _believe_ you'd do something like this! You declared him well enough? _A week before the full moon_? What the hell were you people _thinking_? And what now? You expect a four years-old child to transform for the first time, _alone_ in some dingy orphanage? Where's your heart?"

"Harry stop!" Hermione cried and jumped to her feet, how dare he, how bloody dare he blame her for something that was beyond her control altogether? "_I_ didn't send Aaron away; it was the chief healer of the paediatric ward! And for your information…"

"What's the address?" Harry cut through her words, not even letting her finish her tirade. Hermione practically swelled with rage at the rudeness of her friend.

"What?"

"The address of the place where you're keeping _my_ child! Give it to me." For a long moment Hermione simply stared at him, trying to figure out what kind of response was there for Harry's declaration, when she decided she wasn't even going to bother with one. Deep down Hermione was quite pleased that her ingenious idea to hook Harry and Remus with Aaron worked out so well, and that both sides found what they were missing, but she was damned if she was going to tell Harry that, certainly not in light of his recent behaviour. Without a word she pulled out a card from a roller on her desk and handed it to Harry, who snatched it from her hand with narrowed eyes,

"You can use the main floo down in the lobby." Hermione stated coldly, letting Harry know that by sending him over to the public floo rather than letting him use the one in her office that she was still cross with him. Harry grabbed the cake box and with one last scorching glare he stormed out of the room.

The floo ride to the orphanage went as smooth as one could expect and soon Harry stood in the middle of a large office, clearly that of the headmistress of the establishment. The office was empty, and for a moment Harry contemplated waiting for the woman, Miss C. Tudford, but the will to see that Aaron was safe and happy was much stronger than his manners and he exited the office.

Harry wandered through the halls of the orphanage, his mind full of horrors that might befall on his poor Canagan, even though the building was brightly lit and gaily decorated with murals and painting on every piece of wall. Harry followed the noise of many children laughing and it led him to a huge hall, where about thirty children, ranging between the ages of three to seventeen years old were playing and chattering and laughing. The cacophony of voices made Harry's head swim and he was pretty sure Aaron felt the same; the poor boy had to be overwhelmed after being alone for the better part of a month.

Harry slowly pushed the door open, scanning the hall for any sign of Aaron. His eyes were drawn to the colouring corner, since it was usually Aaron's favourite pastime, but the boy was not there. Nor was he playing ball with a bunch of boys that looked to be about two or three years older than Aaron was. Harry worried his lip, feeling utterly lost when a hard body collided with his knees and small arms wrapped themselves around his legs so firmly Harry was completely trapped,

"Harry!" Harry looked down at the messy black head and effortlessly lifted the small body into his arms, looking closely at Aaron's face for any signs of distress.

"Hello little one, how are you doing?" Aaron shrugged but clung to Harry more tightly nonetheless. Harry turned to the door, still carrying the child and exited the hall, looking for a quiet corner. He sat Aaron next to him on a bench he found outside the hall, and reached into his pocket,

"I made you a new cake. And I've come to take you home with me. Would you like that?" He asked the boy who clapped his little hands excitedly. Harry smiled broadly and gave Aaron a big kiss on the cheek which made the boy giggle. Harry knew he could get in a lot of trouble for making such a big decision without consulting Remus first, but he was quite confident that if the older werewolf saw where Aaron was being kept he'd do the same thing without missing a heartbeat. The place itself wasn't so bad, as far as orphanages went; it was just the fact that Aaron was kept there that grated on Harry's nerves.

Producing his wand Harry enlarged the box and cut a piece of the cake, and after conjuring a paper plate he handed it to Aaron. The boy didn't even wait for Harry to conjure cutlery for him before he dug right in, with his chubby fingers. Harry smiled at the obvious enthusiasm of the boy, quite pleased with himself that he managed to nail it with the cake.

"Oh, there you are," A slightly breathless voice was heard above them, and Harry looked up to see a young woman, with wavy golden brown hair and eyes and a pair of blue wire framed glasses. Harry smiled uneasy, knowing he was caught,

"Good morning." He said politely and the woman smiled at him, revealing a dimple on her right cheek,

"Good morning indeed, you seemed to be in quite a hurry." She said with a smile and a heavy Welsh accent, which made the syllables roll over her tongue softly.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that…" He muttered, feeling rather embarrassed all of a sudden. Storming in and out of Hermione's office was one thing, doing so in a stranger's offices was another thing altogether.

"Can we go home now?" Aaron asked eagerly, as soon as he swallowed his last bit of cake. He scooted closer to where Harry sat, gluing himself to Harry's side, as if afraid the smiling woman would try and take him away from his Harry. Harry looked at the woman with pleading eyes and she sighed,

"I think you both better come into my office to discuss things." Harry nodded and after casting a quick cleaning spell on Aaron's messy hands and face he lifted the boy and placed him on his hip before they turned to follow Miss Tudford.

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**A/N:** Cana, or Canagan means wolf-cub in Celtic. It kind of carries on the whole theme Remus started with Cailean.


	5. Chapter 5

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**A/N:** I'm starting a new job on Monday (YAY!!) and therefore I'm moving out of my flat. The reason I tell you all this, is because this might cause some problems in updating and writing. I've got until chapter 11 already written so I hope this would give me a 'safety net' and I won't have to keep you hanging for too long. Sorry about the inconvenience and I hope you continue enjoying the story.

I absolutely love the reviews by the way, keep them coming.

I'm also taking all of your ideas into heart (it's amazing how well you know me, or how well I know you because most of what you've given me I already wanted to put in there- so thanks for the validation).

**Mini-Moony- chapter five**

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Upon entering the office, Carys Tudford asked Harry to put Aaron in the corner, where a small table sat, next to a chest full of toys and a book shelf. Harry took Aaron to the corner and put him down, crouching beside the boy and looking at him at eye level.

"You be a good boy now and play a little while I go and talk to the nice lady, and then we can go home. I promise." Aaron nodded, and Harry stood up, heading for the chair in front of the big desk. Aaron watched avidly until both Harry and the woman sat themselves, making sure neither of them went out of sight before he turned to the toy chest.

"He's a lovely boy, isn't he?" Harry tore his gaze from Aaron's form to turn to the lady who was talking to him. Her honest and open smile made him return one of his own,

"Yeah, he is." Carys sighed a little. She really hated these occasions when she had to drop a boxful of bureaucratic forms on top of the new parents heads. If she could, she'd simply let Harry take the boy with a slap on his back and a 'good luck'. After all, she knew how hard it was to find a match between the child and the potential parents.

"Mr. Potter," She started, taking liberty of Harry's celebrity status to further the conversation along,

"Lupin." Harry said with a strained smile,

"I beg your pardon?"

"My name is Harry Lupin, not Potter." Harry explained patiently, as he had so many times before. This was exactly why he had chosen to take Remus' name instead of them both hyphenating their names. He didn't want to be 'Harry Potter' anymore, he didn't want to be a trademark. Harry Lupin was a private person, a loving husband and with some luck a loving father as well, and that suited Harry just fine.

"Of course, I'm sorry." Carys tried to keep her smile, feeling the slight flush warming her cheeks, after all assumptions are the mother of all fuck-ups, right? "Mr. Lupin, I realize you want to take Aaron home with you but we simply can't let just anyone walk in and take a child away from here."

"I know that. And I don't mean to just 'walk in and take a child away'," Harry answered, quite miffed, who the hell did the woman think he was? "I do, however, want to take Aaron with me, and so if you could just give me the appropriate paper work, I'll be more than pleased to be out of your hair as soon as possible." By gods he hoped this woman would not give him too much grief. There was no way he could leave Aaron here, not after he duly promised to take him home with him.

"Very well." Carys conceded, recognizing the set tone of the man in front of her. She rose from her seat and turned to the cabinet behind her, shuffling through the papers there, looking for the right forms. "You do know that you will have to contact your husband and have him come and sign these forms as well. I can not release the boy to your custody unless you both sign." Harry grimaced at her back, great! With a sigh he fished his mobile phone from the pocket of his trousers and flipped it open. Pressing the number 2 button, Remus' number flashed on the little screen and Harry put the receiver to his ear.

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"And that is why we have to always make sure not to…" The shrill ring tone of Bonnie Tyler's 'I need a hero' cut into Remus's speech and the man smiled sheepishly at his class. It was common curtsey really, turning your phone off during class, but Remus knew the only one who would ever phone him while he was teaching was Harry and only when it was an emergency. "Excuse me." He told his class and turned his back to them before answering the call,

"Harry, I'm in the middle of class, is everything alright? You didn't get burned or something, did you?" He whispered hurriedly into the phone. Whenever his phone ever rang in class he always feared it would be from the hospital telling him his husband had managed to burn, cut, slice, dice or mince any part of himself. So far, he hadn't.

"No, nothing like that," Harry said with a small chuckle. He knew Remus dreaded the day he would injure himself but really, the man should have more faith in him, both he and Seamus were wizards after all, one would expect they'd know how control heat and sharp objects! But luckily, what Remus didn't know was that both Harry and Seamus had become really good at simple healing spells… "It's Aaron. They've moved him to an orphanage in Cardiff and I need you to get here right now to sign the papers so we can take him home."

Remus rubbed his forehead. He knew that day would come, he knew that Aaron would find his way into their home sooner rather than later, but he really hoped this wouldn't be his life from now on, having to cut class because of the boy.

"Harry, you have to calm down," He said in a reasonable voice, and carried on before his husband had time to react and get angry, "I still have 20 minutes before class ends, I can't just leave. Text me the floo connection and I'll be there as soon as I'm done here." Harry glared at the phone in his hand, the feeling of wanting to throttle Remus making his fingers twitch,

"Fine!" He nearly barked and shut the phone with a snap. Damn it! Why did he have to go and marry the most sensible man on the planet? Still glaring at the phone he heard a small, dainty cough above him and saw Carys with a stack of papers that could easily pass as a potions book, level seven in her hands. "He'll be here shortly." He said with yet another strained smile. Carys smiled in return and placed the pile of parchment on the desk, facing Harry,

"Then you can start filling these out in the meanwhile." Harry made another face and accio'd a quill from the other side of the desk. "I must inform you that a social worker from the department of magical child care will stop by at your house sometime next week to make sure Aaron is getting the proper treatment." Harry nodded absently while reading the parchment before him, trying to will his eyes to stay open, gods but this shit was even more boring than one of professor Binns' lectures.

A loud banging of the door opening and a happy squeal of "Remus!" caused Harry to jump from his hunched position over the forms. He looked around to see Aaron perched on Remus' hip, both smiling at each other. Harry looked at his watch, has it been half an hour already?

"You made it." He smiled at his husband and rose from his seat to greet his family. Remus returned his kiss with fervor before he pulled back and narrowed his eyes at Harry,

"No thanks to you! You never did text me the address, I had to call Hermione and have her demanding an apology for your rudeness." Harry shrugged, knowing that Remus wasn't really upset and took Aaron from him, the boy clinging tightly to him, happy to finally receive some attention.

"Sign the papers so we can get out of here. I already filled everything up, you just need to sign the bottom of the last page." Harry instructed. He looked at Carys who was busy working behind her desk, ignoring the three of them it seemed. "Can you show me where Aaron's stuff is so I can collect them and be on our way?"

"Of course," Carys smiled, "Right this way."

While the others were gone Remus quickly skimmed over the forms, knowing that Harry was far too determined to get Aaron home as soon as possible to actually pay attention to the fine letters, but all seemed to be in order as far as he could tell. These were standard adoption papers and while it was nice to be able to take Aaron home with them, it was also kind of daunting. The finality of it all. He and Harry had spent long hours talking about what to expect and what their lives would look like once they could get full custody over Aaron, but Remus still had lingering doubts. Not that Aaron wouldn't fit with them, but that they, or rather he, won't be able to provide for everything the boy needed. Remus took a deep breath, placing his faith with the stars and signed the papers.

"Here we go. All set." Harry's cheerful voice sounded behind him and he turned to his new family. He could tell that Harry was deeply disturbed by the little trip to get Aaron's things, even if he tried to mask it with the cheerful appearance, he just knew his spouse too well by now to fall for it. Walking over to Harry and Aaron, Remus immediately wrapped his arms around his family and smiled reassuringly at Harry, before he dropped a small kiss on Aaron's dark locks.

The boy himself was a bubbly mess of fear and happiness all rolled in together. He was going to live with Harry and Remus, he really was! Everything seemed to happen so fast that it left the little boy's head spinning. He knew he didn't want to stay in the orphanage where there were too many noisy children. The change from being virtually all alone to this cacophony had scared Aaron out of his wits and he was so glad that Harry showed up to save him.

"Here you go." Carys handed over a pile of parchment to Remus after duplicating the original pile of forms. Remus thanked her and pocketed the lot for further inspection. He knew McGonagall would be seething when she got his massage that he wasn't coming back to school that day, but there was not a force in the world that would make him miss Aaron's first introduction to his new home. "Good luck."

"Thank you."

Together the two Lupins carried out their newest member to the floo to go home.

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**A/N:** 'Assumptions are the mother of all fuck-ups, Mitzi my dear'. Priscilla- Queen of the desert.

Sirius Black (what a surprise) was the one who put 'I need a hero' as Harry's ring-tone on Remus's mobile, as it turned out Remus really loved it and kept it. Harry was not amused…

Signing the papers does not mean that Aaron is now a Lupin. They still have the social worker and other bureaucratic shit to go through before Aaron would truly be theirs.


	6. Chapter 6

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter six**

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"Well, here we are." Harry whispered softly into Aaron's ear and the boy, whose eyes were closed tight, opened them slowly. He wrapped his arms more firmly around Harry's neck, and looked around him.

The three of them were standing in the middle of the Lupin family's living room. The living room of 'Rose cottage', named thus after the many rose bushes that were covering the walls of the property was decked in warm oak, floor and ceiling, making the place look rustic and inviting. The walls and furniture were brightly coloured but not garishly so and the rugs were a mass of yellow, red, green and orange to make the room look cheerful and bright.

After Remus and Harry got married they'd decided that Harry's 'country cottage' dream was much more appealing than staying at Grimmauld Place, renovated as the place was. At first Sirius was much against the plan of the two moving out and leaving him alone but eventually even he got persuaded that a newly wedded couple needed their privacy. And so, after about a month of searching the two found the loveliest cottage on the outskirts of a small Wiltshire village, not too far from Malfoy Manor and not too far from the Burrow. As soon as Harry set foot in the house he'd immediately fell in love with it and within a week they were settled in their new home.

Soon after they moved, Sirius decided to follow suit and bought a cottage nearby, which in effect left Grimmauld Place empty of regular tenants. Sirius, unwilling to sell his ancestral home simply invited any of his friends who wished to stay in London for the night to use the house at will. Soon enough each member of Sirius' group that was not living in London had their own 'declared' room in Grimmauld Place, a system that worked wonderfully since there were no arguments about who should sleep where.

Harry walked to the sofa with the boy still in his arms and set them down. Aaron was still somewhat wary of yet another place that he was introduced to but this time it felt different. The house was small and quiet, not like the noisy orphanage and he liked the warm cream coloured walls much better than the pristine and sterile white plaster ones in the hospital.

"How about Harry show you around the house and then you can see your new room, while I make us something to eat?" Remus suggested when he saw that neither Harry nor Aaron were about to move from their post on the sofa. Aaron's blue eyes opened up wide and round, he had a new room? All to himself? Without any other noisy kids or any healers coming in and asking questions? He rubbed his little eyes and touched Remus' arm, just to make sure this really wasn't a dream.

"Come on, Cana, let's go." Harry said brightly and rose from the sofa. He let Aaron slide down his form and grabbed his little hand as the two made their way to the door. Remus looked after them with a soft smile. He sure hoped things would work out for the best.

He walked into the kitchen, humming to himself as he started pulling out products from the cupboards in order to make them all sandwiches. He loved their kitchen; it was Remus' pride and joy. While Harry was mostly in charge of the sweets department, Remus was in charge of cooking the 'real food' in their household. He loved cooking, it had a calming effect on him and this kitchen was every wannabe chef's fantasy, with its gleaming worktops and hanging pots and pans. A few minutes later Aaron burst into the kitchen, eyes glowing and face flushed with happiness,

"Remus, Remus, Harry showed me my room! It's beautiful!" He cried happily and jumped right into Remus' arms. The older werewolf had just caught him in time before the boy crashed into his kneecaps.

"I'm really glad you liked it. Have you washed your hands? Lunch is ready." Aaron nodded eagerly, showing Remus his hands to prove they were clean. Remus watched as his husband followed the boy into the kitchen, smiling wide. Harry knew the boy's room would be a smashing success, after all, he didn't just spent the last couple of weeks learning nothing of Aaron's likes and dislikes. "Say, do you like mackerel sandwiches?" Remus asked with a playful wriggle of his eyebrows, and Aaron wrinkled his nose in disgust, causing Remus to laugh, "Good, because I made you ham and cheese sandwiches."

After lunch Remus and Harry helped Aaron settle into his new room. Not wanting to impose his taste too much Harry had purposely left the walls quite bare so that Aaron could decide what he wanted on them. The bed was shaped like something out of a Doctor Seuss book which made Aaron jump up and down on it for a solid minute with sheer joy. The boy's meagre possessions were sorted out rather quickly and so the rest of the afternoon was devoted to painting Aaron's room and decorating it.

By the time the three were done the room looked fabulously colourful, as did the three of them. Aaron was over the moon at the thought of sleeping in his new room and became almost hyper in his excitement. While Harry took him for a quick bath Remus fixed a light dinner, and called Sirius to inform him that under no circumstances was he allowed to hassle them tonight. Remus hoped they'd get at least a couple of days for themselves before their friends showed up. They needed to grow as a family together first before they could bring in more people, especially the kind of people that were their friends.

After dinner Aaron's energy reserves finally dwindled enough to allow him to go to sleep, and with the help of a story and a kiss on the forehead from his new fathers he was soon dozing off. Harry and Remus retired to their own room, both feeling over the moon with the fact that Aaron had accepted them and was settling in without too much trouble. This was only step one, of course, but neither of them could have hoped for a better start.

That night Harry tossed and turned, feeling rather unsettled and not being able to pinpoint why. Eventually, after gazing at the ceiling for ten minutes straight he got up, sliding quietly off the bed so as to not wake Remus and padded across the hall to Aaron's new room. Under the small nightlight that was casting a soft yellow glow on the room the boy looked positively angelic. He didn't look disturbed one bit, in fact his breathing was deep and even, his sleeping as strong as any child's could be.

Harry looked at the sweet face and worried his lip. He knew that Aaron was fine in his new room and that the boy would sleep soundly until morning, but that didn't mean Harry would. At long last he picked up the small boy, who snuggled sleepily against his chest and carried him back to his and Remus' room.

"Cailean, what's going on?" Remus' sleepy voice nearly caused Harry to drop his precious cargo. He smiled weakly at his husband,

"Aaron couldn't sleep well, so I decided to bring him here for the night." Remus raised an eyebrow, he knew damn well who he had married,

"You mean _you_ couldn't sleep well and decided to bring Aaron here." He smiled, rubbing the heel of his palm over his eye, trying to wake himself a little,

"Same difference." Harry responded haughtily, and placed the sleeping boy in the middle of the bed, before he climbed in and wriggled to get comfortable again. Remus shook his head softly and lay his head back on the pillow. This time Harry was sound asleep within five minutes.

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	7. Chapter 7

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**A/N: **Guys, I'm so so sorry about the delay in updating. Like I mentioned before I just started a new job that week and it's killing! 8 hours on my feet, it's a murder. Anyway, here it is.

**Mini-Moony- chapter seven**

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Aaron blinked his eyes open, the sunlight streaming through the sheer curtains striping the bed and making it hard for him to stay asleep. He lay there for a moment, letting the quietness seep in. Normally at that time of day the orphanage was already bustling and loud. When he opened his eyes, Aaron was rather surprised to find himself nowhere near where he had gone to sleep the night before. He looked at the sleeping figures around him and wondered if he'd had a bad dream and snuck into Harry and Remus' bed, and more so, how angry they would be that he did.

Personally Aaron couldn't recall a bad dream, in fact that last day had been more of a fairy tale than anything, but he must have had one and now Harry and Remus would be mad that he'd gone into their bed and they'd take him back to the orphanage. The air caught in Aaron's throat, making it hard to breath. The last thing he wanted was to be ungrateful and give his new friends any reason not to want them in their house.

Since neither Harry nor Remus showed signs that they were waking up Aaron carefully and slowly slid from the bed and padded as quietly as he could towards his own room. Hoping that if they'd find him in his bed they'd think he'd spent the whole night there. Half way through to his room Aaron realized he was kind of lost. Not that the cottage was by any means huge, but for someone who'd so far had one tour of the place and then spent most of his day either in the kitchen or his room Aaron was still a little disoriented around the place. Pushing a door open he found himself in the cosy living room he first saw yesterday. Wrinkling his nose in disappointment he turned to leave the room when the fireplace blazed green and a tall figure stepped out.

Aaron stood stock still, looking avidly at the man who just strolled in as if he lived there. Tall and dark he gave out quite an intimidating air. The man's eyes locked with the frightened little boy and for a long moment they both stared at each other before identical screams of surprise burst from their mouths.

Harry sat bolt upright in his bed, looking around him wildly while his hand grabbed the wand that was tucked under his pillow. He looked around for the noise that woke him, while Remus simply rolled over and stuck a pillow over his head,

"Shut up, Pads…" He mumbled and Harry nearly crashed to the floor in his rush to leave the bed,

"Oh, gods, Aaron!" Remus pushed the pillow from his face, looking for his husband but only hearing the sound of bare feet running towards the living room. Remus rolled onto his back and sighed before he dragged himself out of the bed and into his robe.

Harry burst into the living room with his wand held up only to have Aaron's small body clashing painfully with his legs and hiding behind them. He looked up at Sirius who was still standing, completely shocked in front of the fireplace,

"Sirius, what are you doing here? I thought we told you not to come." Harry exclaimed, while bending over and picking the scared boy up, after Aaron's arms nearly cut off the circulation to his legs and cradled him close to his chest,

"Who's that?" Sirius, ever the eloquent, blurted rather rudely,

"'That' is Aaron, he's ours." The three of them turned to look at Remus who walked into the room calmly and wrapped his arms around his family.

"Huh?" Remus rolled his eyes, gods, why does Sirius have to be so thick all the time?

"Well, now that we're all awake, I'm going to make breakfast." Harry said brightly and hitched Aaron a little higher on his hip, before he turned, kissed Remus' cheek and strode to the kitchen. Sirius and Remus were left alone in the living room, looking at each other,

"So… You got yourselves a kid then." Remus shook his head, coming to sit on the sofa.

"We didn't 'get ourselves a kid'," He corrected, "It's a long story but the point is, Aaron is a werewolf and we took him in." A slow smile spread on Sirius' face, then turned into a deep chuckle, which really annoyed Remus, "What?"

"You got yourself a Mini-Moony!" Sirius crooned happily. Remus looked the other way, pursing his lips together and Sirius was positively rolling on the sofa laughing himself silly.

Eventually he calmed a bit, sighing in content and whipping his eyes dry of the mirthful tears. Remus cast a sideways glance at his friend, just to make sure Sirius was done and that it was safe to talk again without bursting into laughter himself.

"Are you quite through?"

"I think it's adorable. You two, having a Mini-Moony around. I guess that will shut Hermione up for at least a couple of days."

"One could only hope." Remus muttered darkly.

"Seriously though, are you ready for this?" In a way it was funny that Sirius would ask such a thing, when it was he, Sirius, that was causing them to think about children in the first place.

"Yes, we are. We love him." Remus answered in a serious tone, every time he said it again it cemented the feeling of rightness about the whole situation. Sirius grinned wide and jumped up from the sofa,

"Come on then, let's go meet the new squirt." Together the two friends entered the kitchen to see Harry setting the table and Aaron standing on a chair over the stove and looking intently at the pot of boiling water and eggs. Remus could see the shimmering barrier that Harry cast so that Aaron would not be able to reach close enough to the hub and burn himself. The little chicken shaped egg timer went off and Aaron stood back and cried out,

"The eggs are done!" Harry smiled and turned off the fire, picking up the pot and petting Aaron's head on his way to the sink, messing up the boy's locks further.

"Sit down, breakfast is ready." Harry urged them and brought the eggs along with Aaron to the table. Aaron was still a little apprehensive towards Sirius, who kept sending him glances that seemed to measure him. The little boy was so distress that he kept squirming in his seat and wouldn't even look at his food,

"Sirius!" Remus snapped at last, and the dark haired man gave him the most innocent look he could muster. "Stop looking at Aaron and let the poor boy eat!" Sirius pulled a face at his friend but returned to his plate nonetheless.

Harry was busy placing the soft boiled eggs in their cups and making sure Aaron had enough food on his plate. He was glad that he and Aaron were able to clear the air while making breakfast. He had explained to Aaron that he, Harry, was the one who brought him to sleep in their bed and that even if Aaron was the one who was unable to sleep he was always welcome in their bed and he needn't be shy about it. Under the influence of food and easy conversation the tension around the table eased and even Aaron started sending tentative smiles in Sirius' direction.

The peaceful meal was disturbed rather rudely by the sound of Harry's cell phone. Harry groaned, he always hated when people were as inconsiderate as to call in the most inappropriate hours of the day. He rose from the table and picked up the phone,

"Hello? Yes, speaking…" Remus' eyes followed his husband as Harry's eyes lost their mirth and he stepped out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Something wasn't right. He bit his lip uncertainly and waited for Harry to return. Meanwhile Sirius and Aaron both discovered the mutual love they shared of maple syrup and playfully started fighting over the bottle. Harry stepped back into the kitchen, looking rather grim.

"What is it?"

"That, was the social worker which was assigned to Aaron's case. She wants to come and meet us all in our 'home environment'," He said with air quotes, a grimace marring his face,

"But we knew she would, I don't see the problem." Remus answered easily, buttering his toast with relief, now that he learned nothing life-threatening was going to happen. Harry gave him a mirthless smile,

"She wants to come next Friday…" Remus and Sirius exchanged an uneasy look, and Remus dropped his toast, trying to control his temper so that Aaron wouldn't be scared. Well, wasn't that just peachy? All three men knew that it could not be by chance that the social worker decided to drop by on the day of the full moon of all days.

"What are we going to do?" Harry asked almost desperately. He wished he could have hexed the woman over the phone, something nasty for making his family suffer. Sometimes he really missed floo calling… "You can't stay here, not the way you two are going to be wrung out," He started pacing the length of the kitchen, the eyes of the others glued to him, "This is just what she wants, to catch you in a fault and take Aaron from us! We can't let that happen!" Aaron hung his head, feeling all the happy bubbles that were swirling in his tummy ever since Harry and Remus had brought him home exploding one by one and leaving him with a feeling of dread filling his small body,

"I think, the best solution is for Aaron and Remus to come over and spend the day at my place," Harry and Remus both looked at Sirius, who was calmly folding his napkin. Neither really expected Sirius to come up with a reasonable solution, let alone a selfless one. "Don't worry, I'll bring them both back in time for the transformation." He promised Harry.

"I… I think he's got a point," Remus said slowly, looking at Harry for confirmation, "You would be able to deal with what I'm pretty sure is going to be an annoying woman better than either of us could." Harry nodded and sank into a chair. Gods, why couldn't people just let him and Remus and Aaron have a quiet life? In moments like these he was seriously tempted to pull rank and use his fame as the boy-who-lived, something he'd absolutely refused to do thus far.

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**A/N: **It's so very Sirius to come up with something like 'Mini Moony', just like he did 'Prongslet'.


	8. Chapter 8

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter ****eight**

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Harry paced back and forth in his living room, each step was making him more agitated. He stopped and fluffed a cushion from the sofa, just to give his hands something to do. He forced himself to keep calm even if inside he was nothing but.

Any minute now the social worker was destined to arrive and Harry felt like his nerves were on edge already. He had sent Aaron and Remus to Sirius' house after breakfast, both of them jumpy and nervous, especially Aaron. Harry hated every single one of the people that were responsible for Aaron's condition. Not only his birth parents and the werewolf who bit him, but also the people who were going to decide whether he and Remus would be able to keep Aaron or not. It seemed to Harry that the entire world was against the boy and he vowed to be strong for Aaron.

The doorbell rang and made Harry literally jump up. He took one last deep breath before he went to answer the door. The social worker was standing on the other side, giving Harry a motherly smile. At first she reminded Harry of Molly Weasley, with her plump figure, but her grey hair and square glasses were more a strict school teacher than a kind mother. With a tight smile Harry invited her in,

"Good morning Mr. Potter," She said in a voice that was clipped and precise and Harry had the urge to smooth down his shirt and hair and raise his hand before speaking. "My name is Cornelia Bradford-Meys, and I was assigned to the case of one, Aaron Finn. I understand the boy's last name is unavailable?"

"No. His birth parents left him at the hospital and severed all ties to him." Harry answered curtly, feeling the anger raising in his belly before the conversation even started, the clinical manner in which the woman spoke, not to mention her misuse of his name were slowly pushing back the anxiety and making room for anger, "Would you care for some tea?" He gritted, remembering his manners,

"No, thank you Mr. Potter…"

"Lupin." Harry corrected her with a snort, so this was how things were going to be?

"Of course," Mrs. Bradford-Meys said, her smile stretching a little wider and her eyes turning a shade colder, "What I would like is to meet the boy in question."

"He's not here, I'm afraid." The smile all but disappeared from the social worker's face and Harry bit his lip to keep back a smirk,

"I beg your pardon? You were well informed that I would be arriving today for the specific task of watching Aaron in this claimed home." Harry shrugged and sat himself comfortably in his favourite armchair,

"Then maybe you shouldn't have scheduled the meeting to the day of the full moon." Mrs. Bradford-Meys' jaw dropped in shock,

"We, at the office of Child Care in the Ministry of Magic have every right to schedule appointments when it is convenient for us, and you, as the person who requested custody over the boy should be prepared to present him to us whenever we choose!" The more she got upset, the more Harry could see the resemblance to the old toad, Umbridge, and the levels of his sympathy and patience were quickly eroding away,

"If child care is really what you people are about than you'd know not to show up at my doorstep on this day of all days of the month and demand to see and question a boy that is already scared out of his wits because of what's going to happen tonight. If you want to see our interaction with Aaron you may return next week." With that Harry rose from his chair, indicating he wished the conversation to be over. Mrs. Bradford-Meys however, had different plans and she leaned back further into the sofa,

"This sort of attitude, Mr. _Potter_, is not acceptable by the office of Child Care and could seriously jeopardise your chances of getting full custody over the boy in question. I suggest you start cooperating with me or else I'll be forced to give you a bad report." Harry clenched his jaw in anger, he hated when people tried to manipulate and blackmail him. Slowly he sank back into his chair and narrowed his eyes at the woman's barely concealed triumphant smirk.

"Excellent. Now, let's begin. What do you do for a living Mr. Potter?"

"My name, as I already said before, is Mr. Lupin." Harry answered coldly, determined not to stoop to the woman's level of childishness,

"My apologies, what is it that you do for a living Mr. _Lupin?_"

"I own a bakery in Diagon Alley." From the look on the woman's face Harry knew she was hardly impressed. She was probably like the rest of them who deemed this occupation beneath their saviour. But Harry was far from being bothered by that, he'd paid his debt to society and they could all bugger themselves for all he cared.

"I see, and what does your… husband do?" Ah, a homophobe on top of everything else. Harry briefly wondered if all magical social workers were cast from the same mold as Mrs. Bradford-Meys or was it just his special luck.

"He's a teacher at Hogwarts." The woman made a none-committed sound and added the information in the clip-note she had produced from her bag.

"Do you own this place?"

"Yes."

"And your husband?" Harry's fingers curled around the fabric of the armrest,

"We both do. The house is written in both our names as is everything inside it." He wondered how long would it be before the social worker would reach to Remus' being a werewolf, and hoped he'd have enough patience by then not to hex the woman. He should have called Draco to this meeting, if there was one thing Draco excelled at it was talking his way out of sticky situations. Plus, the blond tended to be less hot-headed than Harry when it came to Remus.

"You _are_ aware of Aaron's… special condition," Mrs. Bradford-Meys continued, charging in with all the grace of a rampaging bull, "Why do you want him?"

"I beg your pardon?" Harry was genuinely confused by that question,

"What do you want with a boy that was bitten by a werewolf? His life isn't going to be easy, in fact, he'll have quite a few restraints put on him." The woman said in what she felt was a reasonable voice, and Harry inhaled deeply through his nose, counting to ten before he answered,

"And what sort of restrictions are you referring to?"

"Well, for one thing, the boy would not be able to attend Hogwarts." Harry snorted at that, unbelievable!

"Aaron is not even four years old. It would be seven more years before we even have to think about sending him over to Hogwarts, and I'm fairly certain that when the time comes he will have absolutely no trouble getting in." Hermione had already informed them that Aaron was magical, despite his parents being squibs, so that was one consolation. Not that it mattered much, since both Harry and Remus were accustomed to living on both ends of the spectrum but it would make life easier for the boy in the long run. At least in the magical world they knew what a werewolf's bite was.

"How can you be so sure? I'm pretty certain the ministry has limits even to the requests of the 'Boy-who-lived'." Oh, that did it! This insufferable woman was practically accusing him of… of… bloody hell, this sort of attitude would not do, especially not under his own roof! Harry rose slowly from his chair, smiling tightly at the woman who didn't seem to appreciate the danger she was in- after all, if there was one thing the 'Boy-who-lived' was known for it was his short temper and volatile reactions.

"I do not mean to use my name or the stupid title your society inflicted on me. My husband, who himself is a registered werewolf is one of the most respected and loved professors in Hogwarts. The headmistress is a close friend of ours and would love nothing more than to accept any of our children under her tutelage. Oh, and did I mention that the deputy minister is practically my foster father?" Well, this last bit was stretching the truth a little, since his and Molly's relationship was still strained, but Harry was fairly sure that Arthur would put aside his wife's opinions and do what was right.

"And if you and your colleagues at the office of Child Care really want to be useful than maybe you should try and find a way of subsidising the costs of Wolfsbane potion so that innocent little children won't get bitten on every turn! And further more, you should take werewolves out of the 'Dangerous creatures' list and treat every case to his own!" Done with his ranting Harry glared at the woman who was quick to return it, contempt and anger practically bouncing off the walls, until Mrs. Bradford-Meys rose daintily from her seat and grabbed her bag,

"Well, with that sort of attitude, Mr. Potter, I'd say your chances of receiving custody over the boy are quite slim, so pulling your strings might not even be necessary. I'm prepared to give you one last chance to prove yourself and produce the boy. I shall contact you." She said hauntingly and turned to leave, but Harry stopped her on her way to the fireplace,

"You know as well as I do that you don't have any other solution for a boy like Aaron, so don't give me this patronizing shit." He said coldly, and from the tension in the woman's shoulders he could tell she wasn't too happy with his observation. "Oh, and if you call me Mr. Potter one more time I _will_ hex you. Good day." Mrs. Bradford-Meys didn't even bother to turn around and simply flooed away with a huff, leaving Harry to stand in the middle of the living room, fuming.

With an enraged cry he turned to the mantelpiece and grabbed the vase standing on top of it, smashing it against the wall with all the force he could summon. The sound of breaking china and the tiny fragments that were scattered all over the floor seemed to have calmed Harry. In fact, this particular vase was standing on the mantelpiece precisely for that purpose. It must have been the ugliest vase ever to be made and Harry and Remus received it on their wedding from a distant Potter relative. After a long discussion as to how they were to dispose of the obscenity is was George that came with the idea for them to use it as a 'punching bag', and so it took permanent residence over the mantelpiece to be smashed and repaired whenever Harry's or Remus's temper got the better of them.

With a flick of his wand and a deep sigh, Harry returned the vase to its original state and flooed over to Sirius's place.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** To all of you who were wondering how Seamus came to call Aaron 'Finn', it's his middle name and Seamus decided that he liked it better than Aaron. But more on that later on.


	9. Chapter 9

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter nine**

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"How did it go?" Harry looked up from his stumble out of the fireplace to see Sirius' smiling face. The smile, however, drained from the man's face at the sight of Harry's expression, "That bad?"

"Worse." Harry groaned, causing Sirius to snigger, "Where are they?" He said as he straightened himself and allowed Sirius to drop the arm he shot forward to catch Harry wobbling out of the floo. It was quite amusing that even after so long the boy still hadn't learn to floo properly.

"In the guest room, they're meditating."

"They are? Whatever for?" Sirius shrugged as he led the younger man to the guest room,

"Remus said it might calm Squirt down." Harry shook his head and opened the door quietly. He stuck his head around the door and saw Remus and Aaron both lying flat on their backs with eyes closed, but if Remus hoped to calm Aaron down that way he was failing badly. The poor boy was squirming and wriggling like someone had put itching powder down his shirt. When he heard the door open he opened his eyes and jumped out of the bed, launching his arms and legs around Harry,

"Harry!" Remus opened one eye and sighed, well it was a long shot anyway- hoping that a four-years-old would be able to lay still for more than two minutes straight, especially on the eve of his first transformation…

"How was the meeting with the social worker?" Remus asked as he slowly got up from the bed, feeling his muscles already tensing, hours before the rising of the moon.

"She's a bitch, and she'll be back." Harry answered sombrely. Remus sniggered, poor Harry, having to deal with this shit all day long. "How about we head home?" Harry asked with a brisk tone, trying to hide his own nervousness, after all, he was the one who was suppose to take care of them during the full moon.

"I think it's a good idea." Remus said levelly, more than anything he wanted to reassure his husband and take some of the load off his back, but he was already feeling the pull of the moon in the pit of his stomach and as much as he wanted to be useful, today wasn't the day for it.

"I'll see you guys in a couple of hours." Sirius called as the three made their way to the fireplace. Harry nodded tightly and proceeded to lower Aaron and grab his hand tightly. Harry was infamous for falling flat on his arse whenever he stepped out of a fireplace and the last thing Aaron needed today was to take a tumble alongside Harry.

Once back in their own home Harry went to the kitchen to prepare Remus's usual dose of Wolfsbane potion. He placed two mugs on the table and produced the measuring cup and the flask of potion from the cupboard where it stood under a stasis spell. Snape had delivered the potion two days ago, as per usual and suddenly a terrible thought struck Harry, what if the potion was ill suited for children? Would he hurt Aaron badly if he tried to give it to him?

Quickly Harry flipped his cell phone open and dialled Snape's number. He was tapping his foot impatiently with every ring, why did it always take Snape so long to answer? At long last the voice of the snarky potions master was heard over the earpiece,

"Yes?"

"Severus, it's Harry, I need to ask you something. Can I give Wolfsbane to a child?" Harry asked in a rush, not stopping for politeness,

"Why would you want to give Wolfsbane to a child in the first place, is the child a werewolf?" Harry rolled his eyes,

"Obviously!" He snapped.

"Don't take that tone with me, young man!" Snape snapped right back, and Harry took a deep breath. Dealing with Snape was never easy, especially during the school year and most definitely not when he himself was on edge and the potions master refused to lose his calm.

"I'm sorry sir. Yes, he is. He's four years old."

"How did you end up with a four-years-old werewolf?" Harry closed his eyes, good gods above and below can't anyone answer direct questions anymore?

"It's a long story, and I will tell you, but not right now. I need you to tell me if I can give him Wolfsbane and I promise that if you want I'll tell you all about it tomorrow." Harry crossed his fingers hoping beyond hope that this would appease Snape. A long silence stretched and Harry could hear the rustle of parchment from the other side of the line, hopefully Snape was looking through his notes.

"I don't see why you can't, give the child a dosage that isn't bigger than half of your measuring cup," He said at long last and Harry sighed in relief, "And should there be any strange side effects you are to contact me immediately. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you." Harry practically sagged into a chair and hung up the phone. After a moment of recomposing he returned to his original task and prepared two cups of Wolfsbane. He measured Aaron's dosage carefully, trying to steady his hands as to not add a drop too much. Once he was done preparing all he needed he called Remus and Aaron into the kitchen. The boy came in, looking pale and unhappy and Harry's heart nearly broke for him.

"Come here Cana, I have something for you." Aaron came over to him and climbed onto Harry's lap, while Remus took a seat on the other side of the table and grabbed his cup, looking sadly into it, as he did every month in remembrance of the taste. "This is a special potion that is going to help you cope with what's going to happen tonight." Harry explained slowly, "Will you take it, for me?" Aaron looked at the murky substance in the cup and pushed further into Harry, and away from the cup,

"I don't want to." Harry rubbed the small arm slowly,

"Please, baby, for me. You have to take it." Aaron lifted his eyes to Harry and saw the pleading there. More than anything Aaron wanted to please both Harry and Remus, he just wanted to see them smiling at him.

"Hey, little one, look, we'll do it together." Remus said with a soft smile, holding up his own cup. Aaron took one last look at the cup and pulled it towards him, holding it with both hands and taking a deep breath,

"I'll give you chocolate afterwards, I promise." Harry whispered into Aaron's ear and a small smile tugged at the boy's lips. Remus counted loudly to three and bravely the two of them drained their cups, shuddering violently at the taste. When Aaron put his cup down there were tears in his eyes. Harry smoothed the hair and handed him the glass of water he had prepared in advance. Aaron drank deeply and gratefully from the glass as did Remus and then Harry handed them both slabs of Honeyduke's chocolate- the same brand Remus had given him so long ago on their first meeting.

Aaron was still sniffling a little as he nibbled his chocolate and Harry suggested a hot, relaxing bath. Aaron nodded sadly and followed Harry to the bathroom, while Remus went to his and Harry's room to do his usual full moon ritual of yoga-style exercise and incantations Hermione had found for him in an ancient Japanese script as a method of relaxing the body and mind before the full moon. Remus was ever so grateful to both Severus and Hermione for helping to make his transformation virtually painless- at least compared to what it used to be. He decided that as soon as the full moon was over he'd start teaching the technique to Aaron to help the little boy as well, but tonight the boy was far too scared to be learning anything new so he let it drop for now.

Gods, but Remus hated the winter, not only was it cold and dreary but it also meant long nights and longer full moons. Luckily, tonight was a bright crisp night, not a cloud in the sky, even though the temperature was revolving around freezing, a bright night meant they could go outside and run about. It was nearly 04:30 PM when Harry finally showed up with a clean and bathed Aaron in his arms. He placed the small boy on the large bed, while he and Remus lay besides him, flanking him with their bodies. Neither of them spoke as they practically counted down the minutes. Suddenly a whoosh was heard from the fireplace in their bedroom and they all looked up to see Sirius bursting out of the flames at a run,

"Gods, I'm so sorry I'm late." He panted and dropped unceremoniously on the foot of the bed. Remus shook his head slightly and closed his eyes again. Any minute now…

Harry carefully rubbed Aaron's arms and torso, trying to keep the boy from freaking out. The tension was making Harry's stomach clench so tight it was actually painful. He closed his eyes tight, not wanting to see anything. A heavy hand rested on his shoulder and he leaned towards Sirius in thanks. Suddenly he felt Aaron's body convulsing under his hands and Harry bit his lip hard, trying to stifle his own sobs. When he felt a cold snout nuzzling his cheek he opened his eyes to see two wolves on the bed.

The bigger one, Moony was rubbing his long snout against Harry's neck and Harry leaned in for the touch. The small wolf was curled around itself and shaking. Harry patted the dark fur softly and Aaron blinked his eyes open. Harry lifted the wolf cub in his arms, cradling him close and Aaron gave a small yip.

"So, how about we head outside?" Sirius rubbed his hands together gleefully. Being able to transform into his dog animagus and just run about with Moony had never lost its charm and every full moon Sirius dutifully showed up at 'Rose cottage' for the task.

"You go right ahead, I'll be there shortly." Harry said and let the cub jump from his arms to the floor. Sirius looked at his godson and saw how close the young man was to breaking apart and he immediately changed into Padfoot and started herding Aaron out of the room. Moony crawled across the bed and pressed himself against Harry, who hugged him tight, burying his face in the soft fur and tried to control himself. A few minutes later he released the grey wolf and shook himself,

"I'm alright, let's go." Moony was still looking at him with concern but Harry smiled as best as he could before he assumed the form of Seff. Together the two wolves padded out of the room, joining the other two by the back door that led into the garden. One of the advantages of 'Rose cottage' was the fact that behind the house stretched quite a large garden. Most of it was unused due to its size but Remus has made himself a little vegetable patch that was his pride and joy. The rest of the field sized garden was simply a grassy plane where wild flowers grew during spring and summer.

The four canines started tracking their way towards the oak grove that marked the edge of 'Rose cottage' property. Harry and Remus kept Aaron between them, both so that the cub wouldn't get lost and both to share some of their body warmth with him. It was, after all, a cold February night. Sirius kept hopping about and tried to playfully nip at Aaron's heels from under Harry and Remus's bellies, which made the cub keep twisting around himself trying to catch the black dog.

At the grove Sirius grabbed Moony's tail in his mouth and tugged, causing the wolf to turn and growl at him. Padfoot's tongue lolled out in mockery and the merry chase began. Harry guided Aaron into a shallow nook at the base of a big tree and curled himself around the cub for warmth. Aaron yipped happily every time Padfoot and Moony burst from between the trees, and on occasion one of them would stop their game and nuzzle the cub, causing the youngster to roll over and nearly purr.

A couple of hours later Harry decided that Aaron had had enough for his first night out. He didn't want to exhaust the poor cub and started shepherding him back towards the house. At first Aaron refused to go, having too much fun to leave but a low growl from Harry had him trotting back towards the house, tail between his legs. Once they reached the back door Harry transformed back and grabbed the cub in his arms, leading the way to the bedroom. He was hoping Aaron would be tired enough to drop to sleep and hopefully it'd ease his transformation back.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** I know it looks like Harry's never working but he does, he's just got a very flexible timetable as he owns the place and Seamus is very sympathetic to his condition.


	10. Chapter 10

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Happy New Jewish Year to all! **

**A/N: **To RRW, Harry is totally the girl in the relationship, but he's cool with it and so is Remus. Wait until he _really_ gets hormonal... I don't envy poor Remus then...

HoshiHikari- Snape would never hurt a child, well, at least not before they enter Hogwarts...

**Mini-Moony- chapter ten**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

When Moony and Padfoot padded back into the room it was almost time for the moon to set. Harry was lying on their bed, Aaron curled besides him and he was petting the young wolf. Sirius transformed back to his human shape just as Moony jumped on the bed and nuzzled Harry's neck in greeting.

Aaron blinked his eyes open and yipped happily at the sight of Moony and Sirius. He stretched his little body and shook himself awake before he sat back and watched the adults. This was just like waiting for the moon to rise, only vice versa.

Harry closed his eyes, holding onto both Aaron and Remus tightly, trying to elevate the pain, even if only mentally. Under the palms of his hands he felt the fur retreating and giving way to familiar skin, bodies shifting back into two-legged creatures. He gingerly opened his eyes, breathing a sigh of relief that another moon was over. But his relief was short-lived when Aaron's body started convulsing and he began screaming in agony.

Remus stirred, trying to reach for the boy but barely able to move his arms. Sirius was completely shocked by what was happening before his eyes, he sat there with his mouth gaping while Harry tried frantically to discover the source of the pain. Aaron's eyes were full of tears and he was sobbing in pain, not even able to tell Harry what was wrong.

"Sirius," Harry yelled, and pushed the stunned man with his foot, "Call Severus, NOW!" Sirius snapped from his stupor and jumped from the bed, nearly losing his footage as he hurried to the fireplace.

Meanwhile Harry was trying to rock the boy and ease his pain, but nothing helped. In the back he could hear Sirius shouting into the floo, but he paid no mind to it until he was roughly shoved aside by his former Potions Professor. Harry stood by the bed and wrung his hands together, his face wet with tears and his bottom lip held tight between his teeth. Sirius was standing beside him, torn between offering to help Severus care for the child and comforting Harry who was one step down from a total breakdown.

"Black, get over here and help me!" Severus snapped and Sirius shook himself from his trance. He moved to the bed and tried to follow Snape's orders as best as he could, a job made a lot harder by the fact that Snape tended to be snarkier than usual under stress. Together they managed to pry open Aaron's jaws and pour down a calming draught down his throat. Sirius gently rubbed the boy's throat to ease the potion down and slowly the screams died out, leaving Aaron's body shaking with effort and panting but no longer hurting so much.

"What happened?" Harry whispered, slowly approaching the bed, as if afraid his mare presence would cause Aaron further pain,

"I'm not sure. I have several theories but I can't say anything for sure at the moment," Severus said pensively, looking down at the boy, "I am certain that it has to be a reaction to one of the Wolfsbane potion's ingredients but I cannot say whether it's an allergic reaction or something else," He looked at both Aaron and Remus, pondering his choices, "I shall have to take blood samples from both of them." Remus nodded immediately, eager to assist even in this meagre way. Harry knelt besides Remus and grabbed his husband's hand before he too nodded slowly. Severus set to work quickly and within minutes he was done with his task. He rose from the bed, packing up the blood samples in his bag. But before he closed it he produced a small vial of amber liquid and handed it over to Harry, "Help me rub this on, and then you can tell me how you got in this situation." He ordered Harry who jumped over Remus to help.

Together the two of them worked the soothing oil on Aaron's legs, arms, torso and back, rubbing the tightened muscles back into suppleness and Harry recounted the story of how he and Remus met Aaron. Severus nodded and hummed to himself at intervals. He wasn't surprised, this was just the sort of thing Remus and Harry would do. Part of him was proud at the level of maturity and care that Harry was showing, but a tiny part was pissed at the extra work the case presented to him. Meanwhile Remus, who was thoroughly exhausted drifted off to sleep and Sirius was nodding on the spot. When Harry and Severus finished tending the boy the two wolves were peacefully sleeping.

"I'll run some tests; I should have answers for you soon. I think I'm going to have to develop a child safe Wolfsbane." Severus said with a happy glint in his eyes at the thought of solving another potions problem.

"Will he be alright?" Harry was softly caressing Aaron's hair,

"He should be. I believe he'll sleep for several more hours. He should wake up good as new, but if he doesn't, you know where to find me." Harry nodded and thanked the man warmly, immensely grateful for his help, he escorted his former professor to the fireplace. After the man had disappeared in a rush of green flames he turned back to the bed and climbed into it, resting on his side so that he could reach both men. Sirius sat behind Harry and rubbed the tension out of his shoulders,

"He'll be alright. Come on, Prongslet, you're exhausted, get some sleep." He pleaded the boy but Harry shook his head,

"I'm fine. I'll just watch over them. You can go home. You're knackered." Sirius stretched and yawned wide, before he rose from the bed.

"You know where to find me, yeah?" Harry nodded with a smile and returned to his watch. Sirius walked over to the fireplace, rubbing his lower back and stifling another yawn. Before he threw the floo powder in he turned to the bed one last time and saw that Harry had fallen fast asleep, his arm curled around Aaron and his palm resting on Remus's stomach. The small boy had snuggled around Harry's arm. Sirius shook his head and smiled, all in all, it was a good moon.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Again it was Aaron that was the first to wake. The boy looked around him and once again found himself between Harry and Remus. Unlike the first time, the boy didn't feel the need to creep out of the bed. He could feel the cold in the room, his little nose freezing and he buried himself further in the blankets and the warmth of the two men. Moving his limbs made Aaron wince a little; his muscles felt as if he'd been running for days and the boy whimpered slightly and tried to find the best position as soon as possible.

Harry stirred when he felt the little body squirming beside him. He blinked his eyes open and cursed himself for forgetting to turn the central heating on the previous night. This would make getting out of bed a special kind of hell.

"Hey Cana, how are you feeling?" He smiled softly when he saw Aaron's blue eyes looking at him intently,

"Hurt." The boy pouted and Harry moved his hand to touch the boy and see whether everything was alright. Aaron didn't flinch or cry when he touched him and Harry realized the pain must have been exhaustion from the transformation. Remus used to hurt like that each and every morning after the full moon.

"I know, Cana, but it'll pass soon." Harry assured the boy, "How about we go have a nice soak in the bath. I have some special salts that will help the pain." The boy sighed and nodded, and Harry smiled and slid out of the bed. The first shock of cold was making him curse loudly and he was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath and a reproachful glare from a four-years-old. Harry tried to smile and apologized slightly before he donned his robe and slippers on. Grabbing a wool blanket from the linen box he quickly wrapped Aaron in it to keep the cold out and carried him to the bathroom.

Remus felt every muscle in his body screaming and protesting when he turned to his back. His hand was feeling along the bed in attempt to locate Harry's body, but even rolling on his side and stretching to the edge of the bed produced no result and regretfully Remus opened his eyes. Nope, Harry wasn't hiding in a corner of the bed, and neither was Aaron, it was completely empty. He closed his eyes again and sent his mind searching for his bond-mate. The bathroom, Remus knew, promised hot water and healing salts, which was just what his body needed right now.

Slowly and carefully he rolled out of the bed and immediately started to shiver. Not bothering to look for his robe he trudged the short distance to the main bathroom of the house. When he pushed the door open he was instantly engulfed with hot steam and the scent of bath salts and oils. Remus breathed in deep and felt his muscles relaxing already. He walked into the room and shut the door behind him, keeping the cold out. Harry turned from his post by the tub and smiled at his husband. Aaron was waving happily from inside the huge tub and Remus smiled back at him.

"Shove over, will you?" He told the boy and stripped out of his nightshirt. Sinking into the hot bliss he hissed in pleasure. Gods, but that felt good. After his body adjusted to the temperature of the water Remus opened his eyes and smiled at the wet boy. He cupped his hands together on the water surface and sprayed the boy with tiny water jets. Aaron squealed happily and retaliated by sloshing water with his hands.

"Oi you two!" Harry cried when Aaron's enthusiastic splashing caught him square in the face, "None of that now, you two ought to relax!" The two werewolves in the bath hung their heads sheepishly and a few minutes later Harry decided that Aaron'd has had enough water for one day. He wrapped the boy tightly with a towel, the only bits pocking were the boy's head and toes before he kissed Remus and carried Aaron to his room to get dressed.

By the time Remus was done with his bath he padded out into a cosily warm house, now that Harry had turned the heating on. He leisurely dressed and went to find his family. Harry and Aaron were in the kitchen, fixing lunch.

The rest of the day they passed indoors, neither wanting to get their noses out in the cold. They played games on the living room carpet and laughed away the remains of the previous night.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** I'm a bit bummed by the end of this chapter, but I honestly thought the whole thing with Snape would take longer… Damn him and his minimalism…


	11. Chapter 11

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**A/N:** This is a little filler, not too important for the main plot but still. Oh, yeah, there's a cuteness alert too. Beware.

**Mini-Moony- chapter eleven**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Now that most of their friends knew about Aaron it seemed a little silly to keep him a secret anymore. And so gradually Harry and Remus started introducing Aaron to their friends. Remus was a little apprehensive at first, because nothing legal had been established and he didn't want both Aaron and their friends getting attached to one another only to have to be separated if things didn't work out. But Harry's faith in their new family was unshakeable and Remus quickly gave in.

Two days after the full moon, it was Monday again and both Remus and Harry had to return to work. They'd agreed that Remus would drop Aaron off at Harry's shop as soon as the two finished breakfast. Harry normally got up hours before his husband to start working on the day's pastries before they opened up the shop at 7:30 am.

Harry was humming softly to himself as he worked the dough for the day's croissants. He couldn't wait for Aaron to come and see his little domain. Harry was immensely proud of his shop, both in design and contents. In the short time that the 'Sugardust' had been open it already managed to attract quite a few regulars, who weren't even related to Harry or Seamus who simply loved their work. For example, there was good old Mrs. Frugle who stepped into the store each morning at 7:48 on the dot and bought a box of Mille-feuilles for her and her husband, every morning without change or fail. Another regular, surprisingly enough turned out to be Percy Weasley, who showed up every morning before he went to the Ministry and bought his favourite vanilla puffs. Harry loved regular costumers, they were loyal and appreciative, but more than that he loved the adventurous clients, the ones that came in and asked what _they_ recommended of. It gave both he and Seamus the drive to be innovative and work harder on improving their selection.

Just before 8:30 the fireplace in the 'Sugardust' erupted in green flames and out stepped Remus with Aaron in his arms. The boy was all eyes as he took in all the wonderful things that were happening around him. He had heard so much about this place had tasted so many of Harry's creations but being here in flesh was something altogether different.

"Blimy, hired help is getting younger every day." Aaron looked at the man who spoke, wrapping his arms more firmly around Remus's neck- his natural reaction to meeting strangers. From the cover of Remus's hold he scanned the man who spoke, taking in the easy appearance, as he leaned casually against the counter, the wide smile and the strange lilt of his talking.

"This is Aaron." Remus said in an amused voice, "Cana, this is Seamus, he works with Harry." Aaron nodded slowly, trying to be polite,

"Oh, that's the wee wolf Hermione's been on about."

"You talked to Hermione?" Harry asked curiously as he emerged from the kitchen, towelling his hands dry. He walked over to his little family to greet them,

"She came over all worked up because of you; she bought two dozens cream cakes." Harry winced a little; Hermione was known to drown her sorrows in sweets and two dozens cream cakes meant he _really_ stuffed it up. Taking Aaron from his husband he sighed sadly,

"Guess I should really go and talk to her..." Seamus rolled his eyes, talk about the understatement of the century...

"Yeah, you do that. So, ever been to a cake shop before?" He asked Aaron who shook his head. Seamus smiled at him, gesturing with his head, "Come on then, I'll show you about." Aaron sent a glance at Harry, seeking permission to go, because his natural aversion to new people was quickly disappearing at the thought of a tour in a cake shop. Harry smiled and nodded and put Aaron down on the floor. But before Aaron could run along and explore Remus caught him around his midriff and lifted him up, causing Aaron to squeal,

"Not so fast, how about a goodbye kiss?" Aaron giggled when Remus gave him a big sloppy kiss right on his cheek before the older man released him. Aaron loved kisses, and hugs, and every touch Harry and Remus dished out. Luckily, both men were very easy with affectionate touches and were constantly coddling the boy.

"Bye Remus." Aaron waved before he grabbed Seamus's offered hand and the two disappeared in the kitchen.

"I never stood a chance against the cakes, did I?" Remus mocked sighed, and Harry chuckled.

"Afraid not." Remus glanced at the clock hanging behind the counter,

"Crap, breakfast is nearly over in the Great Hall, I better be off." He pulled Harry into his arms and kissed him soundly before he reluctantly let his husband go. Trudging unwillingly Remus went to the fireplace and flooed to Hogwarts, while Harry watched with a smile.

Harry looked around him, trying to spot Seamus and Aaron and noticed they weren't anywhere near the main shop area, which could only mean they were in the kitchen. Upon entering the vast and modern looking kitchen Harry spotted the two standing by one of the work surfaces. Aaron was wearing an apron that was far too big for him and had to be wrapped twice fully around his slim waist, and his face was already covered with flour. But his grin was so wide it was nearly ear splitting.

"What are you guys doing?" Harry asked, coming to look over Seamus's shoulder,

"We're making cookies!" Aaron exclaimed happily, his blue eyes shining like little stars. Harry smiled,

"That looks like fun." Seamus sniggered,

"Don't we know it? Come on Finn, time to cut shapes." Aaron clapped his hands in excitement, and Harry frowned a little,

"Finn?" Seamus turned to look at his business partner as if he just noticed that Harry was in the room,

"Yeah, Aaron is just too... You know." Harry crossed his arms over his chest,

"No, I don't, but we'll leave it at that for the moment." He said with a pointed glare at his friend, and Seamus tapped the side of his nose in a conspiratorial manner, smearing flour on his face as well. "I'll get started with the Anderson's order." Harry said with a long suffering sigh, and Seamus returned to the boy who was looking at the sheet of dough on the work surface, trying to decide which shape would suit his cookies best,

"So, what do you think?" Aaron wrinkled his nose in thought,

"Hmm, stars?" Seamus looked at the dough and shook his head,

"Nah, too boring. How about I introduce you to the wonderful world of magical cookie cutters?"

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** You do realize that this is what Aaron's life is going to be from now on. Seamus has big plans for 'the next generation'…

Sorry the chapter is so short, but next time we have to return of the infamous Mrs. Bradford-Meys. And this time, Remus is let in on the fun…


	12. Chapter 12

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one.**

**A/N: **I'm really sorry it's taking so long between updates, but it's just that this is the 'hot season' at the plant nursery (where I work) and I come home after 10 hours and just drop, so not much writting going on... Plus, I don't a computer all to myself (I'm going to get it next week, hopefully) and then I'd be able to write more and update more frequently. So please don't give up on me just yet...

**Mini-Moony- chapter twelve**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

If Harry thought he could let his guard down when it came to Aaron it was soon put back in place when the social worker contacted them again, setting an appointment to see Aaron. Harry did all he could not to bark at the woman over the phone and only Remus' special methods of relaxation in bed helped Harry to snap out of his funk.

When the floo erupted in green flames that Wednesday morning Harry, Remus and Aaron were sitting on the sofa, tense and worried. There was not knowing what the day would bring but one thing Harry was certain of- they were in for one hell of a bumpy ride, and he knew he'd have a really hard time controlling his temper around the insufferable woman.

"Good morning Mr. Potter," Mrs. Bradford-Meys said in her usual clipped tone that was already making Harry want to claw her eyes out, "Is this the boy?" Aaron snuggled deeper in Remus' arms, almost trying to melt himself into the older man, while Harry and Remus exchanged angry looks, because not only was the woman referring to Harry as 'Mr. Potter', even after his explicit threat to hex her, but she was completely ignoring the fact that Remus was sitting a mere foot from his husband.

"This is Aaron," Remus said quietly, determined not to stoop to the woman's level, but he tightened his arms around the boy nonetheless. Mrs. Bradford-Meys gave him a once over and nodded curtly, unimpressed by either,

"I see," Mrs. Bradford-Meys gave the poor boy such a stern look that Aaron gulped and cowered even further into Remus, nearly to the point of bruising the poor man's ribs.

"Here are the papers for Aaron's release from the orphanage," Harry said, producing said papers and showing them to the social worker. Mrs. Bradford-Meys took the papers and looked over them thoroughly, and Harry just _knew _she was looking for the tiniest mistake to charge them with. When she couldn't find any, she looked at them all again with a pinched expression that made both Harry and Remus wonder what they did that was so horrible.

"Tell me about the night of the full moon." Harry took a deep breath, he'd already concluded that the woman hated werewolves, but he honestly hoped that she would not let that fact interfere with their chances of getting custody over Aaron; after all, she was _supposed_ to be objective!

"Erm, we… We were here," Harry started somewhat hesitantly, not sure exactly what sort on information the woman was fishing for, "I gave Aaron some Wolfsbane to ease his transformation, and we spent the night in the grove behind our house."

"You gave a four-years-old Wolfsbane potion?" Her tone now was a mixture of revulsion, anger and contempt, and Remus narrowed his eyes at her, fucking bitch!

"I asked Severus Snape, the potions master of Hogwarts and he said it was perfectly safe." There was really no reason to mention the incident on the following morning, telling her that Aaron had a bad reaction to the potion would only spur her further into taking him away and declaring them unfit to be parents. Besides, Severus _did_ promise he'd child-proof the potion in time for the next full moon.

"Severus Snape? Didn't he used to be a Death Eater?" Unlike the much despised Dolores Umbridge this woman did not bother with a sugary tone and false smiles, which was both refreshing in its honesty and infuriating at the same time.

"He's a war hero." Remus intoned quietly, but the woman ignored him yet again,

"You want to tell me that you've given a child a very volatile potion that was not even fully approved by the PEA, and was made by a man who is known to openly support dark arts?" Harry gritted his teeth and breathed deeply through his nose, he was starting to realize that no matter what either of them said, the woman's mind was set against them.

"Severus Snape is a good friend and an esteemed professor at Hogwarts. He's also holding to the title of Potions Master level one given to him by the PMA. He's one of the best in the field."

"He's also a Death Eater." Mrs. Bradford-Meys was hardly going to let some snivelling _boy _undermine her word, wizarding world hero or not!

"The Wolfsbane potion allows us to relax and maintain our human mind during transformation, assuring that we will not become mindless beasts and bite everything that moves. Severus Snape is one of the only people in the kingdom that is capable of brewing it successfully." Remus explained in what appeared to be a calm tone, but Harry could tell the man was seething inside,

"How long have you been taking that potion?"

"I've been given the potion almost regularly since September 1992." Mrs. Bradford-Meys raised an eyebrow at that and they both knew that something nasty was heading their way.

"Which means that before that you'd been running around loose on nights of full moon, have you not? Tell me, Mr. Lupin, have you ever bitten anyone?"

"Of course not!" Remus barked, gods but this woman was the devil's spawn! "I've never endangered anyone's safety during the full moon."

"Really? Because I did a little research on you and I've discovered quite a few interesting facts. You say that you've been on the Wolfsbane potion _almost_ regularly since 1992 but our records show that you haven't registered yourself as a werewolf until June of 1993, which means you've been _un_registered for quite some time- thirty three years to be exact, am I right?"

"Yes." Remus's jaw was clenched so hard it was nearly impossible to get the word out. Aaron looked up at his friend and saw the hard glinting fury that made the golden eyes look like they were burning ambers. Aaron squirmed uncomfortably, he knew that anger was not directed at him, but it still scared him. He carefully slid from Remus's lap into the space between the two men, seeking shelter and comfort in Harry.

"You should be put away; you're a danger to society not to mention to a young boy!" Harry and Remus's jaws dropped, was she being serious? "How do we know you've not bitten and made _your _share of werewolves in England? And to the point how do we know that the Wolfsbane potion really works and you didn't bite that little boy?"

"How dare you accuse Remus of such a thing?" Harry hissed as he rose from his seat, Remus still gaping in shock on the sofa. "How dare you come into _our_ house and accuse us of hurting a poor defenceless boy when it's _your_ government who's doing nothing to help!" He slowly advanced on the woman, his fury building so close to the point of exploding that the knick-knacks on the mantelpiece started to rattle. Aaron looked around him in genuine fear, he's never seen his benefactors so enraged before and he sincerely hoped he never would again. The poor boy curled into himself, moving to the edge of the sofa, shaking and miserable.

"You've come here with nothing but prejudice against us and our way of lives- not only the fact that Remus is a werewolf but the fact that we're a gay couple as well. You were never going to write a favourable report, no matter what hoops we'd jump for you! Well, I for one am not going to be bullied under my own roof, you racist _cunt_!" Mrs. Bradford-Meys rose from her chair, swelling like a bullfrog,

"How dare you! I can safely say now that I would rather see that boy making a living in the streets than entrust him with the likes of you! I am taking him away!" With that she pulled out her official badge and flashed it under Harry's nose before she side-stepped him on her way to the sofa. Aaron saw the woman coming towards him and let out a frightened shriek, scrambling to his feet and running to hide behind the furniture. "Come here you wretched boy!" The woman snarled and made a grab for the hiding boy. Remus caught her wrist to stop her from getting to the boy,

"The boy is going nowhere and you're not welcome in our home anymore. Kindly remove yourself from our home, our street and our lives." Mrs. Bradford-Meys yanked her arm free and gave a short and shrill laughter of triumph and disdain,

"Are you threatening an official Ministry worker Mr. Lupin? I knew you belonged behind bars the moment I walked in here. Now hand over the boy and I just _might_ drop the charges of assault against you." Remus's nostrils were flaring with rage and the woman gave him another smile, one that was cocky enough to challenge the fuming werewolf in hoping he'd do something rash that would be just the excuse she was looking for. Unfortunately for her, Remus Lupin had much more self control than that and he simply walked away from her, going around the sofa and picking the crouching boy up, cradling him close to his chest in hopes of calming both Aaron and himself.

"You can't take him." Harry said simply as he joined his husband behind the sofa. He hadn't brandished his wand or made any outward sign of aggression but the quiet fury was making the social worker think twice about challenging him. This was, after all, the man who had killed the most fearsome wizard of their time and whether she liked it or not, Harry Lupin was a force to be reckoned with.

"You have just signed for your own destruction," She hissed, gathering her purse and heading towards the fireplace, "I shall return with reinforcement shortly and you had better deliver the boy to me then or by Merlin I _will_ destroy your lives!" And with that she was gone amongst the green flames, leaving three stunned people behind her.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** PEA stands for Potions and Elixirs Administration (Kinda like the FDA). And FYI, Wolfsbane has been approved; she's just being a bitch.

PMA- Potions Masters Association. It's the highest authority on potions in magical Britain and if you want to practice potions legally you have to have their licence. Snape does, for quite a while now. Again, she's just being a mega bitch.


	13. Chapter 13

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

I would like to take a moment and thank my most wonderful beta, something I should have done much sooner and... er... didn't... So thank you so much Dragon, I really don't know what I would have done without you. You lot certainly would have a harder time... (wink)

**Mini-Moony- chapter thirteen**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry was the first to recover from the shock; he turned to Remus and Aaron, looking on the verge of tears,

"What the hell are we going to do?" He cried, but Remus gave no reply, his eyes still fixed on the empty fireplace, "Remus!" Harry all but shook the man, "We can't let her have Aaron!" The boy in question was weeping openly now, feeling the panic and helplessness from both men nearly choking him.

"I do-don't want to go…" He wailed miserably and Remus snapped out of his stupor to cradle the boy's head to his shoulder, kissing his forehead and murmuring in a soothing voice,

"I know, Cana, and we're not going to let that horrible woman touch you." Looking up he saw his husband's white face, and sighed, "Harry, you had better call Draco." Harry nodded tightly and jumped into action. He began looking for his cell phone, the panic raising with every second passing.

Remus watched him with a tiny smile. It would have been funny to see Harry this perplexed if it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation. When Harry was still looking for his phone, cursing under his breath a minute later Remus shook his head and walked to the fireplace, still holding onto Aaron,

"Draco Malfoy's direct office." He cried as he tossed in the floo powder, causing Aaron to sneeze. Draco's face appeared in the fire almost instantly. There weren't many people who had access to his direct floo, as most had to go through his secretary first, and those who did more likely than not used it only in cases of emergencies.

"Good morning Remus, everything alright?"

"No, the social worker was here this morning and she's threatening to take Aaron away, we need your help, _right now_!" Draco nodded,

"Alright, step back, I'm coming through." Remus thanked the man and rose to his feet. When he turned around he saw Harry standing in front of him, biting his lip and blinking his eyes. Remus gave him half a smile and Harry walked into his arms, wrapping his own around both Aaron and Remus, wiping the boy's face dry. Aaron sniffled a little and let the solid bodies that were surrounding him comfort him and re-establish his trust in his adoptive parents.

"It'll be alright," Remus whispered to his little family, "Everything is going to be alright." Before they could continue their little moment something solid hit Remus from behind and he and Harry stumbled over each other,

"You know, it's really is common courtesy to _move away from the floo_ when you invite someone in!" Draco's angry voice was heard behind them. Remus turned and gave the irritated blond an apologetic smile,

"Sorry Draco, we're a little off today." Draco took one look of the three of them,

"Yeah, I can see that. Alright, first thing's first," He said briskly, and turned to Aaron, "Hello puppy, my name is Draco." Aaron let out a small giggle at the name 'puppy' and rested his head on Remus's shoulder,

"I'm Aaron." Draco beamed at the small boy and gave him a little wink. Aaron giggled again and felt the panic and fear wearing away somewhat.

"Remus, I need you to take the puppy to his room and calm him down. Play something with him." Draco waved his hand, taking charge of the situation and snapping everyone into action. Remus nodded and started making his way out of the living room. Aaron looked at Draco from over Remus's shoulder and gave his new friend a small wave. Draco gave him a bright smile and an enthusiastic wave in return. As soon as the door closed behind Remus's back the smile slipped from his lips and he turned to Harry,

"Ok, tell me every foolish thing you silly Gryffindors did." Harry rolled his eyes; dealing with Draco was just as fun as dealing with Snape- damn Slytherins.

"She had it in for us from the second she walked in. She questioned Severus' ability with potions and threatened to send Remus to prison!" Draco nodded slowly,

"What was her name?"

"Er... Cordelia... No! Cornelia, Cornelia Bradford-Meys..." Harry bit his lip and Draco looked pensive,

"That name sounds familiar..." He mused slowly before he shook himself. "Anyway, when she comes back I want you to pipe down and let me do all the talking." He instructed as he made his way to the sofa and sat comfortably, facing the fireplace.

"What? You can't just order me to be quiet! This is _my_ family we're talking about!" Harry cried indigently, but Draco was far from being impressed by his friend's hot temper,

"Yes, yes I admire your righteous wrath and all, but let's face it Potter, it was your big gob that got you into this mess in the first place so. You. Keep. Your. Gob. Shut, or so help me Merlin I'll stitch it shut for you!"

"My big gob? How the hell do you know it was _my_ big gob?" Harry was still pacing in front of the sofa, seething and fuming. Not only did he have to deal with the likes of Mrs. Bradford-Meys but now he had to justify himself in front of his best friend.

"Sadly, I know you." Draco replied with a brilliant smile. Harry tapped his fingers on his knee, fighting back a smile,

"Oh, yeah?" Draco's eyebrow rose in challenge but before the banter could go on the fireplace erupted in green flames and in stepped the infamous social worker accompanied by two Aurors in official uniforms and a bored expression on their faces.

"Who are you?" Mrs. Bradford-Meys asked without preamble, sticking her chin towards Draco. The blond rose gracefully from the sofa, donning on his most charming smile and held out his hand,

"My name is Draco Malfoy; I am the Lupin family arguer." He said smoothly, but Mrs. Bradford-Meys's eyes narrowed,

"I know your name; your father was a death eater, right in the inner sanctum of the dark lord." Draco's smile did not weaver but his slate coloured eyes turned into hard flint,

"My father's decisions were solely his own and have no reflection on me." Mrs. Bradford-Meys was completely unimpressed,

"Is that so? Or perhaps you have decided to follow his footsteps. After all, the apple can't fall _that_ far from the tree." Draco's nostrils flared with anger, but his voice remained icy cold,

"I made my decisions and chose my sides. I fought for the side of light, in fact, I stood on the front line and fought next to Harry during the final battle, where were you during the final battle?" Harry was practically beaming at this, especially when he saw Mrs. Bradford-Meys's jaw tightening when she realized she held no ground against Draco's words.

"I don't see your relevance to this case," She said haughtily, pulling herself together, "Mr. Lupin is a dangerous werewolf who will never be allowed to have guardianship over any child!" Before Harry had time to jump to his husband's defence Draco snapped his fingers together,

"_Now_ I know where I heard your name before!" He cried, halting all conversation in the room, "You are a member of BWPS. I bet you couldn't wait to dig your claws into this case. Tell me, does your employer know of your radical views?"

"My views have nothing to do with this case, and they certainly don't affect my job." The woman had the gall to state without even batting an eye and that vexed Harry to the point of wanting to just hurl a fireball at the woman's direction- wandless.

"Really?" Draco said with a condescending tone, "So how would you call doing everything within your power to deny a young werewolf of a home simply because you believe werewolves should be executed?" Harry's jaw dropped at hearing that,

"What?" He cried out shrilly. He now understood why Draco had sent Remus to calm Aaron instead of him. He was mightily glad his husband was not in the room to witness the shame of the woman's words and opinions,

"Oh, did you forget to tell him of your little club?" Draco's voice was positively oozing with contempt by now and his eyes never left those of Mrs. Bradford-Meys, "She's a member of BWPS- Ban Werewolves from Polite Society. It's a radical group that believes werewolves as a whole should be in prison, at best."

"How can you say that?" Harry hissed in shock, he always knew that people were afraid of werewolves and hated the mere idea of them. Of course, he had ended up marrying the very first werewolf he'd ever met so it was a little hard for him to sympathize with the likes of Mrs. Bradford-Meys. "Not all werewolves are Fenrir bloody Greyback!"

"Werewolves are dangerous!" Mrs. Bradford-Meys retorted hotly, determined not to let these two undermine her beliefs.

"Remus isn't! And neither is Aaron!" Harry was beside himself with rage at this point and Draco sighed, he knew he should have taken his chances with Remus instead…

"Harry, calm down!" He ordered and placed his hand on Harry's arm, hoping the touch will bring the raven-haired man out of his blinding rage, "And as for you, Mrs. Bradford-Miles…"

"Meys!" The woman barked and Draco gave her an angelic smile that would have made Lucius's heart swell with pride,

"Naturally," He assured the seething woman smoothly before he sank his teeth deeper into the jugular for the kill, "I'll be sure to contact your bosses at the OCC to let them know just how you 'handle' your cases. I'm sure they'd be most interested to hear what I have to say." Mrs. Bradford-Meys's nostrils flared and her lips thinned but she said nothing, for a change, "Trust me, you do not want to get on my bad side, for I could have you charged with endangering a child, slandering the good name of a law abiding citizen _and_ a war hero and his husband who happens to be the bloody 'Boy who lived' himself. Not to mention prejudice and racism. Oh, and did I mention I'm a good friend of Rita Skeeter, I'm sure she'll just _love_ to hear all this…" Mrs. Bradford-Meys was shaking with rage by now, but with every word leaving Draco's mouth she realized she had lost and wisely kept her mouth shut lest the smarmy arguer would find further claims to charge her with.

"I suggest you leave now, before the list gets any longer," Draco informed her coldly and gestured to the two aurors that were still standing besides the fireplace, "In fact, why don't we ask these nice gentlemen to escort you out?" Without waiting for the 'gentlemen' to follow Draco's orders Mrs. Bradford-Meys, face flushed red with anger and shame strode off to the fireplace, pulling the remnants of her dignity around her like a torn cloak and vanished with a satisfying whoosh. The aurors shrugged and followed.

A strained silence was all that was left in her wake, until Draco shook himself and turned to the still stunned Harry, sighing deep at seeing his friend's anguish,

"Why didn't you call me sooner Harry?" He asked quietly, in a soothing voice, and Harry wrapped his arms around himself, feeling like the biggest fool in the world,

"I… I thought I could handle her… I just can't believe she'd…" He took a deep cleansing breath, trying to bring his mind back from the blinding rage that he hadn't felt since the fall of Voldemort. Gods be damned, wasn't life supposed to be easier now that the snake bastard was gone?

"Well, at least you came back to your senses in time. I'll get a new social worker assigned to your case, and this time I'll do what you neglected and run a background check on them." Harry nodded, accepting the reprimand, but how the hell was he supposed to know you could choose your social worker?

"Could you, maybe, try and get Carys Tudford? She works in the orphanage in Cardiff where they put Aaron. She's nice, and she seemed to like Aaron a lot." Draco made a short note of it on his blackberry palm-pilot and nodded,

"Very well. I'll see what I can do." Harry tried to smile, suddenly feeling exhausted. He took a step towards the sofa and collapsed on it, rubbing his eyes. He was just glad things were over, for now anyway.

He heard the fireplace roaring again and groaned- what now?

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N: **Arguer is the magical way of saying a solicitor. I read it in some other fic and really liked it, I mean if doctors are healers and cops are aurors than lawyers can be arguers! It is after all, what they do, right?

Thank you RRW for the Rita Skeeter idea. I would have never thought of it myself…


	14. Chapter 14

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**A/N: **I still don't have internet connection, but I do have word so I was able to write two more chapters!! Hoorah. They are being beta'd at the moment so hopefully I'd be able to post them soon. Thank you so much for the vote of confidence and I'm so terribly sorry for all the mess. Love ya.

**Mini-Moony- chapter fourteen**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Looking apprehensively between his fingers Harry saw Hermione rushing out of the fireside, her bushy hair flailing behind her and groaned again, this was almost as bad as facing that social worker from hell.

"I came as soon as I could." The young woman said in a rush as she looked around her, seeing Harry slumped on the sofa and her boyfriend giving her one of _those_ looks,

"I called you almost twenty minutes ago!" Draco cried, and Hermione smiled in apology. "What part of a.s.a.p didn't you understand?"

"Perhaps the part where you'll be sleeping on the sofa tonight, if you carry on with that tone." Draco bit his lip to keep away the smile. This was just his luck, to fall for the feistiest woman in England. But it sure made things interesting, especially in bed.

"Hermione?" Harry asked in a small voice, trying to shrink into the sofa when the woman in question turned a scorching gaze towards him,

"Well, well, if it isn't Mr. barging-into-my-office-and-threatening-me-for-doing-my-job." Harry smiled, Hermione couldn't be all that worked up if she was calling him names rather than saying 'Harry' in that condescending tone she had perfected during their time in Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry. I was upset; I didn't mean to take it out on you." The look Hermione gave him clearly stated she didn't believe a word,

"We'll just see how sorry you really are when you're turned into my own personal cookie-slave." Harry should have known his penance would come in dough form. "Here." Hermione handed him a thick parchment folder, which Harry took with a frown,

"What is it?"

"It's letters of recommendation regarding Aaron from myself and the head of the paediatric ward. They state Aaron's condition and recommend you and Remus as the best option for raising the boy." Harry felt like kicking himself. Even after he treated Hermione like shit she still pulled through for him. He rose from the sofa and in a heartbeat the poor woman found herself in a rib crushing hug. She patted Harry's back with a smile and then rolled her eyes at Draco in plea when Harry refused to let go.

"Harry, I just got a call from Severus, he wants us to come over." Remus said as he walked into the living room, followed closely by Aaron who was half hiding behind his legs. "Oh, hello Hermione."

"Remus…" Hermione chocked out and tried to gently pray Harry away from her. It wasn't as if she wasn't touched by Harry's reaction, but she really did prefer his thanks in form of cookies…

"Puppy!" Draco cried happily and dove behind Remus to retrieve the giggling Aaron. Hermione, now free of Harry's grasp of iron, looked at her boyfriend as he interacted with the boy and felt like a bloody rabbit in front of a hound when Draco fixed his gaze on her and marched towards her with Aaron perched on his hip.

"Nina, come say hello." Draco chided his girlfriend and Hermione managed to smile tightly at the boy who looked at her with an expression that clearly said he'd rather be anywhere but near her.

"Hello, Aaron, remember me?" She asked tightly and in response Aaron buried his face in Draco's shoulder and Hermione rolled her eyes,

"Great, I knew it! Kids hate me!" She pouted and Draco rested his hand soothingly on her arm,

"They don't hate you love, they're just terrified of you." Harry quickly eased Aaron out of Draco's arms when he saw the glare Hermione gave her boyfriend because he knew them both well enough to know this could lead to a full-blown screaming match or to a very inappropriate and spontaneous sex, either way, not something that Aaron would be too happy to be caught in the middle of.

"Ahem!" Hermione and Draco snapped their eyes up to meet Remus's raised eyebrows. Both hung their heads low, as if caught out of bounds after curfew and disappointing their favourite teacher. Harry tried to hide his smile in Aaron's hair, over the years Remus had perfected his 'I'm very disappointed in you' look which made every single student in Hogwarts ready to take a flogger and flagellate themselves in remorse. "Would anyone like to tell me what's going on?"

"It turns out your lovely social worker is a member of BWPS." Draco said curtly as he walked over to collect his briefcase and coat, and Remus shook his head,

"I should have known." Harry looked between his husband and best friend,

"Wait, you mean you know about this… organisation?" Remus shrugged,

"I've heard of them, nothing good mind you." Harry narrowed his eyes, he knew his husband well enough to know when he was being sugar-coating things as to not upset Harry and it drove Harry up the walls that Remus would treat him like a child,

"Ok, I believe this is our cue to return to work, come on Nina, lots more to be done today." Draco said briskly when he saw the look in Harry's eyes, and Hermione nodded, she too knew her friend well enough. Draco contemplated whether he should grab Aaron and whisk him away to the safety of his office while Harry and Remus let out steam but in second thought he decided that the child would be more useful as a buffer and hopefully prevent the row from even brewing.

Harry and Remus were still staring at each other when the other two vanished in the flames. Aaron could feel the tension and tried to squirm out of Harry's arms. He didn't want to witness the fight between his friends and less than that, being caught in the middle of it. Remus caught the boy's movements and reached for him, taking him from Harry's stiff grasp.

"We should head over to the Snape's. Severus said he wanted more blood samples from Aaron and me."

"We are going to have a long talk tonight." Harry snapped irritably, recognizing Remus's attempts of distracting him from his tongue-slip. Remus nodded reluctantly, Harry was infamous for not keeping anything inside and while most of the time Remus didn't mind his husband's open and honest nature he really was _not_ looking forward to tonight…

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

"Sev, we're here." Remus cried as the three of them made their way out of the Snape household fireplace. Severus's dark head popped from behind a door in the far end of the corridor, which guarded the entrance to his personal potions lab.

"About time you all showed up," He muttered darkly as he made his way to the three Lupins. "I'm very close to deciphering which of the ingredients were causing the violent reaction in the boy but I'm running out of blood so I'll need fresh samples."

"But of course, my dear count Dracula." Remus said with a bright smile and Severus pulled a face at him, before he fixed the boy in his arms with a calculating gaze,

"How are you feeling?" He nearly barked at the poor boy, "Have you been experiencing any pains since the full moon?" He asked as he ran his wand over the frightened boy, "Have you been eating properly or is Harry stuffing you up with chocolate and cakes all the time?"

"Severus! Lay off the poor boy, you're scaring him!" Remus cried, halting the steam of questions that were causing distressed tears to form in Aaron's eyes. Severus rolled his eyes and motioned the boy to extend his arm. Remus murmured calming words in Aaron's ear to take the boy's mind from the process. Once Severus was done Remus passed Aaron to Harry and stuck out his arm.

"You had better come into the lab and see what I'm working on." Harry's eyes widened in shock, as did Remus's. It wasn't everyday that Severus invited people to his sanctuary. In fact, his ban of visitors was not solely extended to children but even his own wife wasn't immune to it. Tonks had gotten the ban after she accidently toppled over a potion that was in its last stages of six months brewing. Severus had actually fainted when he saw that. Remus followed Severus, excitement and wonder written all over his face while Harry and Aaron retreated to the living room to await Tonks's return from the day-care with Cleo.

"Sevy, we're here!" Harry heard the door closed followed closely by a loud crush and a small childish yelp of pain. He shook his head fondly, well; Cleo certainly was her mother's spitting image, if not by looks than definitely by behaviour.

"He's in the lab." He cried and a second later Tonks's head appeared through the door, her hair done in perfect chestnut ringlets today. Cleo's face peered behind her mother's legs and when she saw Harry she shot towards him, crashing right into his kneecaps and hugging his legs tightly,

"Uncle Harry!" Harry patted the girl's head while trying to pry her hands away since Aaron was clinging to the back of his legs and Harry feared he might just topple over the two children. Cleo had just spotted the boy hiding behind Harry and looked around her uncle's legs, before she abruptly left Harry and ran back to her mother. Harry lifted Aaron with a smile and the two children looked at each other shyly from the shoulders of their parents.

"Who's this little one?" Tonks asked brightly, and Aaron gave her half a smile that quickly turned into a wide-eyed stare when he caught sight of Cleo.

"This is Aaron." Harry said and nudged said boy a little to get a reaction. What he got was Aaron leaning close to his ear and whispering,

"Her hair is blue." Harry looked up to see that Cleo's hair was indeed turning a brilliant shade of indigo blue, and smiled,

"Yeah, it does that when she's shy." Cleo turned her head towards the boy and narrowed her violet eyes,

"Are you really a wolf?" Aaron was quite caught by surprise over the question, but he nodded all the same. Cleo smiled, her hair slowly returning back to its inky black natural colour and she slid down her mother's body and reached her hand up to Aaron. Harry put the boy down, and Aaron leaned against his legs, still sheltering in the safety of his adoptive father while he looked at Cleo. "Come on." The girl urged impatiently and after a quick look and a smile of confirmation from Harry, Aaron took her offered hand and let her drag him towards her room.

"Aren't they the cutest couple you've ever seen? I wonder what their wedding would look like…" Harry rolled his eyes; trust Tonks to come up with something like this…

"Not funny, Dora." He mumbled and Tonks gave him a bright smile,

"Well, what do you know, ickle Harry is becoming a daddy… it seems that just yesterday I swooped in to rescue you from that awful house you were living in…" She simpered as she slumped into her favourite chair,

"Yes, swooped in, all by your glorious self…" Harry snorted and Tonks gave him a little wink and changed her hair into the hot bubblegum pink she used back then. "And I'm not a daddy just yet. We just had a visit from the devil's social worker. We had to call Draco in for the save." Harry explained and Tonks winced in sympathy.

"Bet he enjoyed chewing the woman out." She wriggled her eyebrows cheerfully and Harry couldn't help but snigger. Tonks leaned forward in her chair with a contemplative expression, "I wonder, if you're daddy, what does that make Remus?" Harry rolled his eyes,

"I don't know… dad?" Tonks sagged back, clearly disappointed,

"Boring." She declared. But before Harry had time to offer protest on the subject Tonks continued, "Come on, let's go see how the kids are doing and then we'll make some tea. Where is that dashing husband of yours, you said?" She babbled happily as she got up from the chair,

"In the potions lab with _your_ perpetually cheerful husband." Tonks's eyes grew to the size of saucers at that, and her jaw dropped,

"That Bastard, having others in his lab like that." She declared haughtily and stepped out of the room, her head held high against Harry's laughter.

The two made their way to Cleo's room, opening the door silently and peering inside. The two children were lying on Cleo's bed, curled around each other and fast asleep. Harry smiled, it was good for Aaron to be around children his age and Cleo was quite a lovely girl, if you overlooked her tendency to walk into objects.

"I think I better take Aaron home for his nap." Harry mused loudly, but his heart wasn't in it- the two kids just looked too cute to separate.

"Oh, leave them be and come help me make tea." Tonks said as she spelled blankets over the two children and closed the door softly behind her, "Ooh, I know, you can be in charge of desert!" Harry sighed, figures.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** Remember how Victor Krum called Hermione Hermi-nini? Nina is the upgraded version. Besides, Draco decided he needed a pet name for his girlfriend that nobody else would be using so Mione was out of the question.

BWPS (Ban Werewolves from Polite Society) are quite a secret group, which was endorsed by Voldemort himself during his reign of terror. They've been outlawed after the war and went underground. They're not as influential or vocal as they used to be and most people don't even know they ever excited.


	15. Chapter 15

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**A/N: **This is for all of you who were craving some Harry/Remus fluff. Enjoy.

You just have to bow to the awesomeness of Dragon who beta'd this chapter in less than a day! She's the queen no doubt!

**Mini-Moony- chapter fifteen**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

The sound of a throat clearing caused Remus to look up from his book (a John Grisham novel this time), to see his husband standing in the doorway of their bedroom, wearing his terrycloth robe which was dropping off one shoulder and a seductive smile on his face. Upon seeing the smile Remus put the book aside and stretched more comfortably on the bed, pulling down the sheet in invitation,

"What's the occasion?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and Harry's smile grew wider,

"Do I need an occasion to ravish my beautiful husband?" He purred softly and advanced, letting more and more of the robe slip down his body until he stood stark naked at the edge of the bed. Remus' mouth instantly flooded with saliva at the sight, because no matter how long they'd been together, past or present, married or not, there was just something about Harry's body that made him so... wanting.

"Far be it for me to complain," Remus breathed as Harry placed his knee on the bed and started crawling towards him, "But are you sure Aaron isn't going to have nightmares?" Harry stopped and sat back heavily on his haunches, crossing his arms over his chest,

"Bitch!" He muttered and Remus bit his lip in order to stop laughing. When that didn't work he covered his mouth with one hand and then with the other. Harry narrowed his eyes, this sort of attitude would not do! Quick as a kitten he pounced on Remus, who was now openly laughing, and started tickling the man. Remus squirmed, tears filling his eyes and just as his breath was shortening he managed to grab Harry's wrists and in one fluid motion reversed their positions and pinned him to the bed. He looked down at the beautiful green eyes which were two huge pools of passion and smiled. Remus began dropping small affectionate kisses all over Harry's face, causing the younger man to giggle,

"Gods, I missed this, I missed you..." Remus mumbled in between kisses,

"I know, me too." Harry answered while he tried to steal some of those sweet kisses. But Remus didn't allow Harry to take control and instead he started trailing kisses down Harry's neck and shoulders, going steadily south. Harry closed his eyes and sighed in bliss, this was definitely what life was about!

Harry's hands weaved themselves into Remus' hair, massaging the scalp and letting his husband know just how he wanted to be touched. Remus wasn't in a hurry it seemed and Harry found himself groaning in frustration. Remus just loved to tease him, and even after so long together Harry hadn't been able to stop falling for his teasing time and time again.

After paying his due respect to Harry's abdomen and thighs Remus decided his lover was finally ready. Harry's mouth stretched in a wide grin, his fingers clenching in Remus' hair and he let his head drop backwards on the pillows. Amazing things happened whenever Remus took him into his mouth, and Harry couldn't get enough of that. There were colours, beautiful, shining, swirling colours behind his closed eyelids- like a brilliant psychedelic acid trip and all thanks to the things Remus could do with his tongue.

Blindingly Harry reached for a pillow next to his head and buried his face in it, screaming into it as his climax hit. Remus pulled away from his young husband and looked up to see why the sounds Harry was making were so muffled. Instead of his mate's beautiful face, contorted in ecstasy he could only see a white pillow. Remus frowned, as he climbed back up towards Harry's face,

"What the hell?" He breathed, his arousal still achingly hard, making his movements stiff. Harry lowered the pillow sheepishly, his face red from both embarrassment and lack of oxygen,

"I forgot to put a silencing charm..." He mumbled, smiling guiltily and Remus narrowed his eyes, trying to decide whether he should laugh or get upset. In the end he settled for grabbing Harry's wand from the nightstand and shoving it into Harry's hand. The embarrassed young man muttered the silencing charms quickly, ready to make penance for his forgetfulness. Slowly he turned Remus onto his back and smiled down at his husband before he murmured the proper lubrication and stretching spells, the ones that Remus had taught him so long ago and he only ever used when he wanted to mount Remus. They still made his eyes go cross.

Remus ran his hands slowly over Harry's thighs, breathing in deep. This was not one of their usual positions and whenever Harry had seen fit to gratify him with it Remus just took up the offer and loved every second of it. Slowly and deliberately Harry sank lower and lower on Remus' rigid cock, trying to time his breathing with the penetration. It wasn't painful, per se, but it was quite uncomfortable. After all, when Remus was controlling the moves Harry knew that Remus' primary thought was his own benefit and pleasure, but now he was calling all the shots and he didn't overly like doing it.

Remus patiently helped Harry guide himself down and it never ceased to amaze Harry how much self-control Remus had. Ever since the first time he had taken Harry, back when they were both 17 years old, Harry had admired Remus' ability to hold back and keep a relatively clear head in a situation that was making Harry so giddy he was literally seeing double. Together they started moving in tandem, Harry's head dropping back while Remus' eyes fluttered shut. Harry could feel the rhythm building up, and Remus' thighs flexing under him. Half-heartedly he tried to drop to the side and reverse their positions but Remus kept him still with an iron grip on his hips. He wasn't about to waste such a golden opportunity.

The two moved together, each seemed lost in their own world, with only their groins connected. Remus reached over and grabbed Harry's renewed erection, moving his fist slowly over it, and then picking up the pace as Harry began to move faster, the joint stimuli making the pressure of pleasure build higher and nearer its peak. Harry reached back to steady himself somewhat on Remus' legs, pumping his hips as fast as his cramping legs allowed him before he could feel himself falling over the edge. Remus followed shortly after, not being able to stand against the combined allure of muscles clamping over his own cock and Harry's face above him, contorted in ecstasy. Slowly Harry brought himself back from his height and tiredly slumped against Remus' chest. Remus wrapped his arms around the warm, supple body sprawled over him and closed his eyes in bliss.

Small shivers began to creep over Harry's body, once the fine film of perspiration on his skin began to dry. He resisted moving from his comfortable position as long as he possibly could but eventually he had no choice. Reaching out and grabbing his wand from the nightstand he quickly cast a few cleaning charms and them spelled the covers above them so that they could snuggle together comfortably. Remus hummed in satisfaction but didn't bother to open his eyes.

"Gods, I needed that... After the week we had, I honestly thought I might explode at some point." Harry murmured, his face buried in the crook of Remus' neck.

"I know what you mean, Cailean. That woman could make even Dumbledore want to draw his wand and throw a hex." Remus said with a small chuckle, thinking that Albus would be the first in line trying to hex the shit out of that bitch. Though he would be in for a bit of a scuffle with pretty much everyone Remus knew.

"I hate her. I fucking bloody hate her and I hope she'll would have a horrible gruesome death, full of pain and suffering. I wish I could have sent one of Hagrid's 'pets' on her! That… horrible… annoying… bloody… bitch!" Harry grunted, letting the venom and hatred pour out, making him feel slightly better, saying things that he possibly couldn't say in front of anyone but Remus.

"Goodness Cailean, such language." Remus chuckled, "Tell me, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" He snickered at his own joke when he felt Harry stiffening by his side. Remus stiffened as well as a horrible thought crossed his head, "Oh, gods, she's not here is she?" He cried and rose to sit, looking frantically around him, "Come out Lillian, this is not funny!" He cried, pulling the blankets higher over his chest. Harry rolled over to gaze gloomily at the ceiling,

"She's not here." Remus breathed out a sigh of relief, crashing back onto the bed, "Was my mum's real name Lillian?" Harry frowned,

"No, I just call her that when I want to piss her off." Remus answered lightly, now at ease that he was assured his wayward friend was not about to drop in on their love making- something that would be quite determinable on Remus' ability to perform. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked when Harry still stared at the ceiling with an air of doom,

"We didn't tell Lily and James about Aaron." Harry whispered miserably and Remus felt like thumping him. He almost had a heart attack thinking that Lily somehow snuck into their private sanctuary and all Harry was worried about was the fact that they didn't tell his dead parents about their soon to be (with a bit of luck) adopted son.

"That's all? You scared the shit out of me; I thought Lily was spying on us!" Harry turned to Remus and leaned on his elbow,

"That's all? Do you realize what will happen when they find out they are the last to know about their… grandson?" He asked incredulously, surprised that Remus, of all people couldn't see the harmful potential in the situation, "They'd… They'd haunt us down! They'll never leave us be! They'll… They'll take permanent residence in our bedroom and… and sing dirty limericks to keep us awake every night! We would never be able to sleep again!" Remus couldn't help it, the thought of Lily and James, floating in their bedroom, singing dirty limericks like a couple of Christmas carolers was undoing him fast. Harry, on the other hand, was far from amused,

"Stop laughing!" He punch Remus in the shoulder, none too gently, which only served to make the werewolf roll over and laugh harder, his eyes filling with tears of mirth. Harry narrowed his eyes and contemplated serious bodily harm when Remus managed to catch his whizzing breath and calm his hysterical laughter to little bursts of giggles.

"I can just picture this," He whizzed happily, "Lily and James singing dirty limericks..."

"Remus, we are going to have to go there." Harry said in a tone of finality and Remus rolled his eyes, whenever it came to Harry's parents things were always so complicated. On one hand Remus could understand it, after all, their relationship was never one of parents and child, no matter how much Lily and James tried to pretend they were the adults around, but Harry seemed to have a real problem juggling between them being his friends and his parents.

"We will go, don't worry. I'm sure they'll fall in love with Aaron just like we have." Remus rubbed is nose softly on Harry's shoulder, trying to appease his beloved.

"We're going tomorrow." Harry decided,

"But I have classes all morning!" Remus protested. He wasn't about to miss out class because of this. Not when they could go visit Lily and James at any given day and get the same lame jokes from James and sarcastic comments from Lily and especially not when he had to answer to Minerva McGonagall!

"We'll go after lunch. It'll give me enough time to prepare Aaron." Remus frowned,

"Prepare him for what?" Harry gave Remus one of his raised eyebrow looks that made him look so much like Lily,

"Oh, I don't know, maybe for the fact that his future grandparents are roaming the earth in a pearly white shade?" At times like these Remus could understand why it took so long for James to approach the razor-sharp tongue of Lily Evens.

"Fine, we'll go tomorrow after lunch." He conceded and laid back on the bed, snuggling under the covers and pulling Harry beside him. "Let's go to sleep."

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** By Lucifer, you have no idea how long it took me to write this chapter… and the worst bit is- I seem to have lost my notes, so I had to recreate the jokes and all and they came out much lamer than I planned. I'm so sorry…


	16. Chapter 16

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter sixteen**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry wrapped his arms tighter around Aaron's body, trying to provide warmth in the freezing end of February afternoon. The ground around them was marred with patches of snow, as if someone had sprinkled the ground unevenly with it.

Aaron stared around him. He knew why they were there- Harry had explained everything to him that morning. How they were going to visit Harry's mummy and daddy, and that they were not like regular people. The idea of a ghost was new to Aaron and he wasn't sure whether he should be scared or excited at the prospect of meeting one. He dug his nose a little deeper into his wooly scarf, letting his warm breath defrost the appendage and giggled at the tickling sensation.

Remus smiled as he watched his husband and their with-a-bit-of-luck-now-that-the-monster-is-off-the-case soon to be son. It never failed to bring a smile to his lips, the thought of having a family with Harry.

"Maybe we should have invited Sirius to come with us…" He mused aloud; things were sure a whole lot of fun with him around. Harry sent a scanting look his way as they reached Lily and James' graves, clearing his throat loudly to draw their attention to their presence, his vision momentarily obscured by his own breath. The translucent shapes of Lily and James Potter glided towards them not a minute later.

"Hey, look Lils, it's son and son-in-law." James beamed at them and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Ha Ha, James, very funny." He grumbled while Harry and Lily hid a smile,

"You're just upset that I outrank you now." Remus narrowed his eyes, miffed by the smugness in James' voice.

"You don't outrank me, if anything; I boosted Harry's rank up!" He snapped. Lily glided forward and placed herself between her husband and best friend,

"Alright children, that's enough." She said in a haughty voice, "There are no ranks here. And besides, if there were any, you know I'd outrank the lot of you." She finished with a sweet smile that caused Harry to burst in laughter.

"What's that?" James asked curiously when he spotted Aaron in Harry's arms. The boy had his face pressed tight against Harry's shoulder, which made it hard to tell who he was due to the amount of clothing Harry insisted he wear to keep him warm.

"_This_ is Aaron," Remus replied, stressing the word. Lily glided even closer trying to peer onto the boy.

"And what are you two doing with an Aaron?" James crossed his arms over his chest, not entirely happy at being left out of the loop. Even Lily seemed like she was getting things.

"Hopefully, adopting him." Harry said softly as he tried to get Aaron to turn his head, "Cana, these are my mum and dad, would you like to say hello?" Aaron slowly turned his head, clinging tighter to Harry. The first thing he saw was the huge smile of one Lily Potter beaming at him. Aaron gave her a small tentative smile in return.

"Oh, he's so cute." Lily chirped happily. James rolled his eyes but glided closer nonetheless. He gave Aaron a small wave, and the boy returned it, which made James grin wide. Remus wrapped his arms around both Aaron and Harry, trying to keep from hopping on the spot to get a bit warmer.

"You guys are going to be grandparents." He told the two ghosts with a small wink. Lily beamed again, while James looked like he was about to gag,

"Don't say that," He cried, "This is getting too weird for me. I'm still not used to the fact that my one year old son is now older than me!" The other three adults sniggered. That could be really mind blowing at times.

"I want to see more of him; I bet he's even cuter under all these layers." Lily said in a clipped tone, peering around Aaron to see if she could get more glimpses of the boy under the wooly hat and scarf.

"Then you're going to have to come over," Harry said, "I don't want him to catch a cold."

"We would come, if you had invited us." Lily raised her eyebrows, rolling the ball into Harry's court again,

"As it so happens, I just buried a bird in the back yard, so you're welcome anytime you wish." He retorted, but Lily was far from impressed,

"It's about bloody time. You've been living in that house for four bloody years now!"

"Well, I had to wait until I found a dead bird, didn't I? I couldn't very well kill one!" Harry protested,

"You're married to a werewolf; it shouldn't have been that hard…" Harry fixed his father with a scorching gaze, only to have it thwarted away by a toothy grin. Remus snorted in laughter.

"Well, it's been fun, but it's getting a little too cold. Do pop over for tea sometime." He said with a smile, taking Aaron from Harry. Now he was really starting to hop from one foot to another which made Aaron bounce on his hip. Harry smiled apologetically at his parents and grabbed Remus' arm. Next moment, Lily and James were standing staring at the snow that started falling.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

"What a cozy little place you've got here." Lily observed as she floated through the living room wall. Harry smiled as he removed the rest of Aaron's winter gear. The boy looked so much smaller without all the layers puffing him up. Turning towards Remus, who was staring at her with a smile she cried, "Don't just stand there like a log, you said you'd put the kettle on." The elder werewolf shook his head and exited the living room.

Harry put Aaron down on the sofa and proceeded to light a fire in the fireplace, trying to warm the place up as soon as possible. It had been unusually cold outside and right now he had two ghosts in his living room, which wasn't making the heating process any easier.

"I knew you were cute under all that wool." Lily told Aaron as she sat next to him, floating a couple of inches above the sofa. Aaron smiled sheepishly at her, still not sure how he felt about her. "Would you like to show me your room?" She asked in a hopeful voice. Aaron looked momentarily stunned but after an encouraging smile from Harry he carefully slid from the sofa and beckoned Lily to follow him. Before leaving the room she turned around and gave Harry the two thumbs up, along with a huge grin. Harry smiled back.

"So, care to enlighten me as to what the hell is going on? I really hate to be the last one to know things." James sniffed loudly as he tried to look as gloomy as possible while staring at the fire.

"Aaron was bitten less than two months ago, Hermione called in Remus and I so that we would talk to him, and I guess one thing led to another and here he is." Harry explained just as Remus walked in with a tea tray. The older man sat on the sofa next to Harry, and busied himself with preparing cups for him and Harry.

"What, so now every time Hermione finds a stray werewolf you're going to adopt him?" James was still not convinced in the wisdom of such a plan. After all, one grandchild was… well, frightening, but the thought of a hoard of them was downright terrifying.

"No, of course not. But Aaron's biological parents denounced him and he had no one left. We couldn't very well let him stay in the orphanage where they don't even realize what he needs during full moons." Remus said crisply, handing Harry his tea. "We had no choice." James nodded slowly.

"What does Sirius think of this?"

"He thinks Aaron is the cutest thing in the world. He loves coming over on full moon nights to run about with him. He calls him 'Mini-Moony'." Harry answered with a soft smile. At that James burst out laughing while Remus rolled his eyes.

"Mini-Moony, oh gods that's brilliant!" Remus and Harry exchanged a sad look at James' snickering.

"Well, not so brilliant yet." Harry confessed lowly, looking beyond his shoulder to see if Aaron and Lily were heading back to the living room. James followed his gaze and leaned forward, all traces of goofing gone, "The social worker is giving us some grief."

"What sort of grief?" James asked suspiciously, all the loyalty instincts that made him such a good Gryffindor were kicking in, someone was hurting his baby and he was not about to sit by and take it idly!

"She's a member of BWPS; she said she'd rather see Aaron rot in some orphanage than being raised by the 'likes of us'." Remus said bitterly,

"The 'likes of you'? Who the hell called _my_ son the likes of anything?" The three turned to see a narrow-eyed Lily gliding into the room with Aaron trailing behind her. Remus beckoned the boy to come to him, and Aaron carefully side-stepped the ghost to jump into Remus' lap.

"The social worker. She's a member of BWPS." James said grimly and looked at his wife, knowing that the anger he saw reflecting in her once green eyes was matched by his own.

"It's alright," Harry tried to plead, seeing how both his parents were turning the equivalent of red with rage. "We have everything under control. Draco sorted it out."

"Draco?" If possible James looked even grimmer at hearing that name, "Isn't he Lucius' brat? I don't think I trust the boy. He's dodgy at best."

"Draco isn't dodgy." Harry argued, "He's our friend and he's our arguer. I trust him with my life." He stressed the last words, letting James know that he'd better not start an argument over Draco's worth. Before James could even think of arguing Lily jumped in,

"We'll go public." She decided, "We'll blow the whole thing over- media and all! Merlin knows you've got enough friends and benefactors in high places; there is no way that… _evil woman_ is going to win." She tried to smile at Aaron who was looking at her with wide blue eyes. Remus felt a small babble of laughter building up at seeing Lily's face. In a way it was lucky Aaron was there otherwise the conversation would turn into a cursing fest and nothing productive would come out of it.

"Mum, don't worry. We have another social worker; she's going to come in next week. Hopefully the Bradford-Bi… Meys woman didn't get to her yet." Harry tried to appease Lily's mind, not that he wasn't grateful that his parents were raging on his and his family's behalf but he really didn't want the whole thing to turn public. They have all suffered enough by the hands of the magical press.

"Harry, don't try and be the hero here," Lily snapped, "You've got people who wants to help you, so for once in your life you'll let them!" Harry gaped at her speechless. His own mother! "We'll talk to Arthur, he's practically family anyway, and Milly too." Remus rubbed Harry's nape, trying to calm his husband down before anything broke down,

"You call the minister of magic 'Milly'?" He asked with a smile. Lily shrugged,

"We are having tea with her every Monday." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yup, it's Monday tea with Milly and Wednesday tea with Minnie." Harry couldn't help himself; he let out a small chuckle, breaking the tension in the room.

"Ooh, we could get Mickey to help too! He was with the IRA before he got killed; he's been arrested 14 times!" Lily cried excitedly, "He knows everything there is to know about bombs and such. We could give that horrible woman an 'accident'…"

"Lily, I think that having one crazy Irish man around is enough for me. You've been consorting with very dodgy company since you died…" Remus laughed, even though the idea of an 'accident' happening to Mrs. Bradford-Meys sounded like a dream to him.

"Mum, dad, thanks for trying to help but we still have several _legal_ options before we end up blowing people up." Harry said with a soothing tone that he hoped would take some of the fighting spirit out of Lily. His mother could be like a rabid dog once she got an idea into her head.

"Fine." Lily grunted and rolled her eyes. Some people just didn't seem to understand how boring death was…

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N: **I hope you got that Minnie is Minerva McGonagall. And no, neither James nor Lily dare call her that to her face.

Irish people rock.

Thank you RRW for the idea of bringing Sirius along. Chaos, absolute chaos would ensue if he had come (actually the chapter was finished before I read your review… sorry).


	17. Chapter 17

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter seventeen**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Tuesday found the household of the Lupin family in complete mayhem. Remus had just finished dressing Aaron for the third time after Harry decided the first couple of outfits were not presentable enough for the social worker. Remus tried to bare this in silence, he really did. He knew how much stock Harry put on that woman and frankly he had hoped things would go smoothly as well, but he didn't really see why his husband went around the bend because of this.

"Harry!" He called for the hundredth time, and then shook his head fondly, putting scrambled eggs on Aaron's plate. The boy could feel the tension around the house but didn't feel too effected by it- after all, Harry had told him that the nice lady from the orphanage was dropping by to see how he was doing. Aaron liked Carys, she was a grown up that was nice to him and was not related to Harry and Remus.

"Argh!" Harry cried as he entered the kitchen, "I can't get my hair to behave!" Remus looked up, indeed Harry's hair looked like something Neville might create in potions class. The older man tried hard to hide his smile.

"Cailean, you have to relax, this is only a visit- everything will be alright. Besides, she's here to see Aaron, not you." Harry narrowed his eyes, miffed that his issues were not met with the utmost seriousness. Gods, but he hated Remus' level headedness sometimes.

"Yes, but that does not mean we have to appear as ruffians!" He snapped before he slumped in his chair. Aaron gave him a bright smile, and Harry returned it, along with running a soft napkin over the boy's egg covered face. Aaron resisted his best to be cleaned but to no avail.

A few minutes of quiet breakfast passed before they heard the floo chiming. Harry jumped from his seat, nearly toppling the entire table over, looking wide eyed around him,

"Is she early or are we late?" He asked in a rush. Remus looked at his wrist watch and gave a sheepish smile, "Oh, bugger!"

"You go and greet her; I'll get egg-boy ready." He said in a soothing tone and Harry had no choice but to comply. Slowly he made his way to the living room, feeling very self-conscious as he tried to smooth his hair and clothes. Carys Tudford smiled up at him as she dusted herself off, before offering her hand,

"Good morning Harry, I hope I didn't interrupt anything." She noted the lack of Remus and Aaron in the room.

"No, not at all," Harry smiled back; already feeling more relaxed about the whole situation. "We were just finishing breakfast. Remus is washing Aaron up; they'll be here in a second." The two stood there looking at each other for a full minute, neither too keen to start with the 'heavy stuff' until Aaron barrelled into the room, shouting "Miss Carys!" and jumping on the woman. Carys caught the boy easily and spun him around, both of them laughing. Remus walked to Harry and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist from behind, both watching the interaction between the two with a smile.

"So, you're looking good," Carys stated as she took in Aaron's rosy, plump cheeks and the boy nodded vigorously,

"Harry and Seamus have been teaching me how to make cookies and chocolate." Harry's eyes widen in horror. This was so not the way he wanted to portray their family lives to the woman who held the power to take Aaron away. Carys, however, didn't seem at all upset at the inappropriate diet,

"Wow, I wish I had a daddy who owned a cookie shop…" She sighed wistfully, and Aaron giggled. "Tell you what, why don't you show me your room, and tell me all about those yummy cookies?" She prompted the boy who was only too happy to tell her all about the wonders of the 'Sugardust'. Behind the two Remus' wiggled his eyebrows cheerfully at Harry as the two followed.

Upon reaching Aaron's room Carys lowered the boy onto the floor as she took in the scenery. She simply loved the colours swirling on the walls, and the placement of all the furniture. The room was as tidy as Harry managed to tidy it in the five minutes he'd had before breakfast after he gave up the impossible battle with his hair, but Carys thought it was perfect for a child. Aaron jumped on his bed, hugging his favourite stuffed animal to him and waited with beating heart to what Carys would say.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant." The young woman shook her head fondly. From the door Harry and Remus smiled broadly. After she finished examining the room Carys turned her attention to Aaron. She walked over and sat down in front of the boy, "Who's that?" Aaron looked down at the stuffed animal and smiled broadly,

"Piggy." Carys tried to hide her bubbling laughter,

"You've got a stuffed pig called Piggy?" From the doorway Harry snickered,

"Seamus gave it to him and named it Sir Pigcelot of Camelot but Aaron can't pronounce that so we call it Piggy." Carys smiled and bowed her head at the stuffed pig,

"It is an honour to meet you, Sir Pigcelot of Camelot." Aaron giggled at that, happy that Miss Carys was taking matters seriously. Most adults he used to know never bothered with being childish, though most of Harry and Remus' friends were only too happy to be. Well, all except Hermione.

"And this is Jonah." He said and gestured towards the plant that was standing on his nightstand. The little plant, as if knowing it was the focus of the conversation, ruffled its leaves and seemed to have straightened up. When Aaron had first met Jonah he was enthralled with the fact that the plant was able to bloom when happy and kept sneaking into Harry and Remus' bedroom to talk to the plant and see if he could make it bloom. Eventually Harry decided to move Jonah into Aaron's room, much to the boy's delight after the latter had walked into what could be called a compromising position if it wasn't for Remus' quick thinking. "Jonah is a happy lily." Aaron explained to Carys who looked delighted at the prospect.

"Looks like you've got everything in order here. With Piggy and Jonah, and Harry and Remus..." Aaron nodded happily, glad that she was approving of his home life. Carys took a deep breath and placed a soft hand over Aaron's little one, "Tell me about the full moon." She asked softly. The boy bit his lip uncertainly for a moment, not sure what to say, and Carys prompted him, "What did you do?"

"We ran, behind the house, with uncle Siri." Aaron smiled softly, remembering the experience, which in his eyes was quite awesome, "I had four legs." He added with a small giggle, which made the adults in the room return it.

"I bet that was fun." Carys smiled, "What else happened?" Aaron frowned, hugging Piggy closer to him,

"Pain." He whispered and in an instant both Harry and Remus were there, hugging him tight and shielding him from further questions and hurt. Carys looked at them puzzled and Harry explained in a sheepish voice,

"Aaron had an allergic reaction to one of the Wolfsbane potions' ingredients."

"So what did you do?"

"We called Severus Snape." Remus answered, feeling rather reluctant to share this piece of information. After all, this wasn't something they told Mrs. Bradford-Meys, and who knows how Carys might spin it against them. Nice as she may be, he still didn't trust her fully to decide that Aaron was best off with him and Harry. Carys could see the hesitation of the two men, and she sighed, guessing what the root of the problem was,

"You didn't mention any of this to Cornelia, did you?" Harry shook his head and lowered it, feeling reprimanded. Carys sighed, gods but she hated having to clean up after Cornelia's messes time and time again, "Let's get one thing straight, I am not Cornelia, and whatever she's been saying or doing has no relevance. This is a clean slate and what you are sharing with me now will be viewed only if it has relevance to the case of Aaron's safety and welfare. I'm only interested in making sure you are capable of giving him a happy and healthy home. Alright?" Harry smiled wide at that, glad more than ever that he insisted they'd get Carys as their case worker.

"Alright." He agreed.

"Good." Carys grinned at them, "So, Severus Snape…" She said in a sort of dreamy voice that was far from indicating disgust.

"You know Severus?" Remus asked, amused, and Carys had the decency to blush, pale pink flush decorating her cheeks,

"He used to be my teacher back when I attended Hogwarts. We all had a crush on him back then, there was just something in his voice that lured you in and made you feel so…" Catching the slightly revolted look on Harry's face, Remus' amused face and Aaron's big eyes she caught herself and cleared her throat, "Anyway, a good thing that you did- he's the best in the business after all."

"Yeah, and he also promised to child-proof the Wolfsbane in time for Aaron's next transformation." Harry added with a lighter heart. Glad that things were finally going their way.

"Well, that's settled then." Harry and Remus exchanged a quick glance,

"W…What, that's it?" Harry asked suspiciously, not quite believing things were actually going their way for once. Carys shrugged and smiled at them,

"Pretty much, yes. I already have all the documentation including the letters written by the healers at St. Mungo's that your arguer delivered to me. I came here to see how the three of you are interacting and from what I see, you're doing splendidly. I see no reason why your application shouldn't be accepted." Harry let out a small relieved noise, somewhere between a sob and a giggle and reached out his hand to Carys,

"Thank you. Thank you so much…" The young woman shook his hand, almost blushing at the depth of emotions. She was just doing her job after all, but if there were times when Carys had doubted her chosen profession, it was times like these, and faces lighting up like the ones of Harry, Remus and Aaron that reminded her why she loved doing what she did.

"Yes, well, I have to apologize, on behalf of the Office of Child Care for the behavior of Cornelia. I really am sorry she was giving you such a hard time." Harry had the grace to smile dismissively at that. Right at that moment, nothing bad could happen and nothing could harm the perfection and wholeness that was his family.


	18. Chapter 18

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**All thanks go to my wonderful beta- Dragon. **

Sorry for the tardiness, stuff, you know.

**Mini-Moony- chapter Eighteen**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

All week long Harry and Seamus were crazy busy with preparing cookies, cakes and other food for what shaped up to be the party of the decade. Remus was turning 44 years old and Harry, his loving and adoring husband was determined to give him the best party ever. Especially now, that things seemed to be running so smoothly and they could let their guard down for a while and just enjoy life.

True to his word Severus Snape had managed to locate the possibly harmful ingredients in the Wolfsbane Potion and fix them before the next full moon arrived, which meant Aaron could run around without a care in the world. The adoption procedures, while tedious and boring were nonetheless proceeding, much to Harry and Remus' delight. And so Harry had decided they had far too many things to celebrate to keep Remus' birthday a small low-key celebration.

The first to arrive at the day of the party were Sirius and Seamus, who was bringing in the batches of goodies he and Harry had been making all week and Draco and Hermione along with the 'proper food' they commissioned for the party. Aaron was so happy to have his friends around he couldn't seem to be able to sit tight in one spot and kept running from one to another as the adults tried to decorate the living room for the celebration. Remus himself was a little apprehensive about all that. On the one hand he'd rather not have his birthday mentioned at all- after all, it was just another year to mark how old he was getting. But on the other hand, he was thrilled to have a proper party again, one like they used to have back in school. Well, sort of- at least this time they didn't have to sneak around nicking food and booze.

As more and more guests arrived to the house Aaron began to feel more and more apprehensive and anxious, his giddiness at seeing all his friends was quickly replaced with chocking fear. There were far too many people for his liking, being used to only the three of them, maybe plus one or two more. It seemed Harry have decided to invite pretty much everyone Remus had even the remotest of connections with and the term 'full house' had never seem more accurate. The poor boy was panicking and very close to start hyperventilating when he realized he somehow managed to lose both Harry and Remus in his pursuit of a very promising tray that was carried out of the kitchen.

Aaron gulped and retreated into himself, trying to make himself as small as possible in the forest of legs around him. Feeling the panic rising to his throat he felt himself chocking on it, and wanted nothing more than to cry and scream and make all those people go away. A pair of black clad legs stopped directly in front of him and Aaron lifted scared eyes up. Severus Snape, who was not a short man, was positively towering above the little boy and his piercing gaze did nothing to elevate Aaron's panic.

From behind the legs of the man suddenly popped a bright purple head and Aaron literally jumped up in surprise. Cleo's smiling face beamed at Aaron from behind the sanctuary of her father's legs, and Aaron felt the lump in his throat somewhat receding at the sight of his little friend.

"Aaron, why don't you take Cleo and show her your room?" Aaron was shrinking again at the sound of that deep voice, which was precise and calculated and not at all like the happy lilt of his Harry and Remus. If it wasn't for Cleo's eager face Aaron would have probably turn tail and run, but instead he meekly offered his hand to the girl and together they started shoving their way between the legs of the elders. Holding on tightly to Cleo Aaron felt much less panicked and scared- he was going to his room, nothing bad could happen in his room and there he would be able to protect Cleo from all those people as well.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Remus looked around him, having finally managed to shake some busybody or other from him. He was touched that so many people had shown up for his birthday party (though secretly he suspected they'd come for the 'Sugardust' goodies), but it was a little overwhelming even for him, and he couldn't even begin to imagine what poor Aaron must be feeling. At first he was able to keep an eye on the boy but as more and more people showed up he was unable to concentrate solely on Aaron anymore. Looking around he noticed the boy was nowhere near Harry, nor near Sirius, Seamus or Draco and that worried Remus. Aaron didn't like new people and if he wasn't near any of the adults he trusted that meant he was probably cowering in some corner, probably crying in panic. Remus had to find him fast, or the boy might do something crazy like trying to run away.

Spotting Severus standing alone and glaring at people Remus fought his way to the dark man, reaching him flushed and a little short of breath,

"Sev, have you seen Aaron?" He asked, standing on his tiptoes trying to spot the boy,

"A fine father you make, losing your child in your own home." Severus drawled and Remus crossed his arms together, mostly to avoid the temptation of thumping his colleague and friend.

"Severus! This isn't funny; Aaron must be frantic by now with all these people about." Severus closed his eyes briefly. Taunting Remus was not much fun these days, the man refused to rise to Severus' baits faster than a professional tennis player anymore.

"He's in his room with Cleo." He supplied dryly and turned to Remus who was no longer there, "You're most welcome." He added with a sneer and turned back to the room to resume his glaring.

Remus shoved his way out of the living room, a task that felt like battling a tidal wave bare handed. When he finally managed to reach the door and docked quickly, shutting it firmly behind his back just in case anyone decided to follow him. Dodging the few guests in the halls he made it to Aaron's room, praying the boy was alright and not in the process of running away from home- after all, there was no telling what Cleo Snape might come up with and try to drag his little boy along. Opening the door he was relieved to hear the sound of childish laughter, and the sight of the two children sitting on the bed playing with Aaron's toys.

As soon as the door opened Aaron froze, before he spotted Remus at the door. With a happy squeal he launched himself on the man and refused to let go, effectively chocking Remus when the latter picked him up and perched him on his hip.

"Hey Cana. Sorry we left you alone for so long." Remus whispered softly, and Aaron turned his head on the man's shoulder, giving away a small smile. "Are you hungry?" Aaron nodded, "Would you like to go and get something to eat?" At that the boy shook his head vigorously; the thought of going out there again, where all the people still cluttered the room was nearly choking in again, "Do you want me to bring you something here?" Aaron gave it a little thought, it would mean not going back there, and it would mean having food, but it would also mean that Remus would be gone without Aaron's control on when he'll be back. After due consideration he gave a small nod and released Remus' neck, allowing the older man to put him back on his feet, "Then you stay here with Cleo and I'll be right back with food for you two, alright?" Both children nodded at that and Aaron returned to the bed, while Remus slipped away from the room.

Less than a minute later the door opened up again and in slipped Seamus, looking behind his shoulder to make sure no one saw him. When he saw the two children on the bed he rubbed his hands together gleefully, approaching the bed,

"It's a real mad house out there, what are you two playing, can I join?" Aaron smiled widely at his friend and nodded, while Cleo seemed to scan Seamus shrewdly with her eyes, a trait she obviously inherited from her father. It was truly amazing that even at her tender age she could make Seamus squirm. "I'm Seamus," when Cleo didn't look at the least bit impressed he added with a roll of his eyes, "I made the cookies." He told her and gave her one of those said cookies, smirking at her happy squeal. No child, no matter if Severus Snape himself had fathered could resist cookies, especially those that came from the 'Sugardust'.

"Seamus!" Seamus looked up startled to see Remus standing in the doorway balancing three plates of food, "I just went to bring them a proper dinner and you are ruining it with cookies?" Seamus sighed deeply and intoned in a grave voice,

"Remus, my dear, we all have our purpose in this world, yours is to provide the boring food and mine is to provide the nutritious, nourishing and wholesome sugar." He finished, beaming at the older werewolf who snorted at him. Placing the plates on the nightstand Remus took out his wand and transfigured a chair into a small table, much to the children's amusement. As the four of them settled down for a spot of tea the door opened again,

"Ah, I knew the real party wasn't in the living room." Drawled the voice of Draco Malfoy, who was leaning casually against the door frame, Cleo lifted her head at the voice and in a whirl of pink hair and flailing limbs she threw herself at the blond man who caught her easily, laughing merrily. Seamus raised an eyebrow at that, and gave Remus a questioning look, while Draco brought Cleo back with him to the table,

"Draco is Cleo's godfather." Remus explained casually as he tried to mop Aaron's face though the boy was trying valiantly to resist. A wide smile spread on Seamus' face, and he leaned forward, fixing Draco with his twinkling eyes,

"So, you're the godfather then. Are you going to make me an offer I can't refuse?" Remus nearly choked on the bite he just took and Draco looked up positively frightened, before he caught himself and gave Seamus his Malfoy trade sneer, drawling smoothly,

"I have a girlfriend; I'm not going to make you any offers, ever! Pervert!" Which only spurred Remus and Seamus to laugh harder, until they were practically whizzing and holding their sides. Draco pursed his lips and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to look as unimpressed as he could at the fact they were having the time of their lives on his expense. Aaron crawled over to Draco, perching himself comfortably in the older man's lap and offering him a mini-quiche to appease the man and Draco's anger melted like snow in June. Who the fuck cares that those two idiotic Gryffindors were laughing at him, Aaron obviously liked _him _more.


	19. Chapter 19

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**This chapter is un-betad because Dragon is unable to do that for me at the moment, and I wish her only good until she's able to pick it back up. **

**And as for you- I guess you're stuck with my typos… Sorry. **

Right, well, I know it took some time, and it's wasn't because I didn't have it written down for nearly a month now- it's just- I've been watching QAF- all five seasons of it and you know…

Gods, I'm _so_ glad I don't live so far up north- just seeing all the snow there all the time…

**Mini-Moony- chapter Nineteen**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Aaron woke up with a start.

At first he couldn't pinpoint what it was that woke him up, but after a moment it came again. Lightning flashed through the shutters of his room, followed closely by a deafening thunder that seemed to be making everything in his room, down to the furniture clatter alarmingly.

Aaron groped around until his fingers closed on the soft fur and he pulled Piggy to him. Clutching the stuffed animal and burying his face in the soft pink fur he pulled his knees to his chest, curling into a small ball of fear and misery. Another lightning sliced the sky outside, followed by another thunder that shook the whole house. Aaron didn't want to be alone anymore.

Harry had told him that he could come to their room any time he wanted, whether he was scared or just lonely. So far Aaron hadn't needed to take Harry up on his offer, but tonight seemed like a perfect night for it. Waiting for another thunder to pass he quickly slipped out of bed and into his fluffy slippers. Clutching Piggy tightly to him Aaron made his way to his door.

Once the door of his own room closed behind him Aaron leaned against it and closed his eyes, frantically trying to control his erratic breathing. The hallway seemed so much larger than it did in the daylight and the rumbling of thunders and the sound of the lashing rain seemed to be amplified by the nearly empty corridor. The snaps of lightning bolts were forming strange shapes on the cream coloured walls that caused Aaron to see monsters in every shadow.

Taking a deep breath Aaron fixed his eyes on Harry and Remus' bedroom door and as soon as the hallway darkened after another flash of light he broke into a run. Reaching the door before the next lightning stroke he twisted the doorknob carefully and peered inside. He breathed a small sigh of relief at seeing both his adoptive fathers sleeping soundly in their bed. Padding softly Aaron approached the foot of the bed where the linen box stood.

Careful not to make a sound, though in truth he didn't make much more noise than a mouse moving in the dark corners of the kitchen would what with the storm raging around the house, he put Piggy on the top of the linen box and climbed onto it himself. After carefully removing his slippers and arranging them on top of the linen box Aaron grabbed Piggy and lifted the edge of the covers before he slipped under them.

Under the blankets it was dark and warm and cozy, and the feeling of two bodies surrounding him was comforting. Even the thunders were less loud and scary under there. When his head poked out from the other side of the covers he tried to minimize himself as much as possible so that he won't wake Harry or Remus and shut his eyes tight. A soft hand brushed a lock of hair from his face and Aaron gingerly opened his eyes, meeting Harry's sleepy smile,

"Did the storm scare you, Cana?" Aaron nodded sheepishly and Harry's smile widened. He wrapped his arm around the boy and adjusted the covers around them. Another arm draped itself around Aaron's back with a soft murmur of 'Canagan'.

Aaron closed his eyes thankfully. Surrounded by the warm bodies of his fathers and with Piggy close to his heart he could even find a soothing rhythm in the sounds of rain and fell back to sleep.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry couldn't help but move to the music, there was just something about the 'Gypsy Kings' that had both he and Seamus practically dancing around their kitchen while they were working, which was why the band's CD was one of the most used in their collection.

At first he didn't even hear the owl tapping on the window, too busy shaking his bum and whipping cream. He's been so happy these past few weeks, and nothing seemed able to dent that feeling. Their court date to finalize the adoption papers was less than a week away and so far (knock on wood, spit over your shoulder and toss salt and whatever other superstition people could come up with, of course) nothing seemed to be standing in their way to happiness. Aaron was happy, Harry was happy and Remus was most definitely happy to be at the receiving end of most of Harry's happiness.

At long last Harry noticed the owl and let it in, the angry bird looked ready to cause all sorts of havoc in Harry's neat kitchen. The man smiled and offered the bird an owl treat hoping to appease its mind enough so that the avian will forget its plans of mayhem. He took the letter from the owl and the bird took off haughtily. Harry studied the parchment envelope and felt his heart sinking. The Ministry of Magic's Office of Child Care sigil was embossed on the front.

Making sure both Seamus and Aaron were busy in their corner, dancing and making a mess with the flour he went to the front of the shop, smiling at their shop salesgirl- Mairead Finnigan, Seamus' cousin who ran away from home after he parents insistence she'd get married. The girl had shown up on Seamus' doorstep one day claiming she would never go home again. As they needed someone to mind the shop while they were at the back baking they had kept her.

Harry moved to sit by one of the small tables they had set up for those customers who simply couldn't wait a moment longer to taste their creations. Taking a deep breath he ripped open the envelope and pulled out the official looking letter. This close to the final signing of the papers, getting a letter from the OCC could not be a good thing. Scanning the words he felt his whole body getting heavier and heavier, like a dark cloud was pressing over him and weighing so heavily on his shoulders it was hard to keep himself upright.

"Harry, are you alright?" Harry snapped his gaze up, eyes wide to look at the concerned face of Mairead. He closed his eyes briefly, fighting against the sudden wave of nausea that swept over him.

"I need to go see Remus," He mused out loud, feeling almost violent tremors going through him, "Can you please tell them I'll be back soon." Mairead nodded, looking worriedly at the young man who stumbled towards the fireplace.

Remus looked up surprised when he heard his fire whooshing, he was having a quiet cup of tea before his next class and no one was scheduled to disrupt it. When he saw Harry's face as the younger man stepped out of the floo Remus forgot all about his tea and rushed to help his stumbling husband. Harry was never very stable coming out of the floo, but when he was upset it was usually much worse.

"Cailean, what's wrong?" From the look on Harry's face Remus had already guessed this was no 'I just felt like a bit of snogging so I dropped in' kind of visit and that worried him. Without a word Harry handed over the letter, and started to pace in front of the fireplace in agitation while Remus read through the parchment. "You've got to be joking…" He breathed out as soon as he was done. Harry turned and fixed Remus with a scorching glare,

"Does it look like I'm bloody joking?" Harry snapped and Remus sighed, this was _really_ serious if Harry was acting like this. He turned his eyes back to the letter in his hand,

'Dear Mr. and Mr. Lupin (Potter),

It is my greatest pleasure and deepest regret that I am to inform you that the biological parents of one Aaron Finn have come forward and want their son back. The Office of Child Care is very favourable towards parents who have seen the errors of their ways and wants to have their birth child returned to them.

In light of these recent events we ask of you to produce the boy in question at our offices at the earliest convenience. To ensure that there will be no attempts of child kidnapping proper wards were placed around your residence.

Should you decide to continue with your blessed activities and wish to adopt another child the Office of Child Care would be more than happy to assist.

Best regards,

Augustina Prior,

Head of adoption desk,

Office of Child Care,

Ministry of Magic,

London.'

"What are we going to do?" Harry asked desperately, moving to stand next to his husband who more than anything seemed shocked beyond words, now that the genuinity of the letter had started to sink in.

"They're offering us a replacement child? Are they having a bloody lark?" Remus was still looking at the words on the parchment, almost as if he would be able to will them to change. "That doesn't make sense…" He mumbled, his mind blanking out by the mere thought of losing Aaron.

"I'm calling Draco." Harry said in a determined voice and stepped back towards the fireplace. He angrily tossed a handful of floo powder into the grate and all but yelled Draco's address.

Draco looked up surprised as the fireplace in his office blazed green. There were only a handful of people who had access to his direct floo line and he wasn't entirely surprised to see Harry stumble out of it with all the grace of a drunken troll.

"Careful, you might fall." He muttered sarcastically at Harry and returned to the piece of parchment he was reading. Harry straightened himself up, feeling rather embarrassed that even after so many years in the magical world he still couldn't muster the art of travelling by floo properly. He could see the smile tugging at Draco's lips, even though the blond's head was bent down but this time Harry refused to raise to the bait. Instead he marched over to the table and slammed down the letter. Draco jumped slightly at the unexpected movement and shot Harry a quick glare.

"Read it." Harry growled, the feeling of numb shock finally starting to subside and anger, no- wrath replacing it. Draco frowned at Harry for a second or two before he bent his head to read the parchment. He felt his jaw going slack, completely astounded by what he was reading. When he finished the letter for the second time, just to make sure he was reading correctly he lifted his eyes to find Harry pacing anxiously around his office, biting on his fingernail and looking like a lost puppy. Draco sighed,

"This came to you this morning?" Harry lifted stormy green eyes to him and nodded, Draco looked at the letter again, "Give me a couple of minutes to find out what's going on." He decided, "Go back to Hogwarts and wait with Remus, I'll be there as soon as I have news, alright?" Harry nodded again, relief flooding his system. He was glad Draco was going to take the matter out of his hands because in his current state the only option Harry could see open to them was taking Aaron and running as far away as possible.

Trudging back to the fireplace Harry again stumbled ungracefully into the Hogwarts' Defense against the Dark Arts professors' quarters, and right into Remus' arms. For a long moment they just shared a hug, trying to gain strength and comfort from one another's form.

"Shey called, said that Aaron asked where you went." Remus whispered into Harry's ear, running his hands over his back,

"Draco said he'd be here soon with answers." Harry replied stonily. More than anything at the moment the thought of having to face Aaron and tell him what was going on was breaking Harry into pieces. Gentle arms guided him towards the sofa and he leaned his head back, closing his eyes and letting Remus shift them into a proper cuddle.

"I can't lose him, Remus. I can't." Harry spoke softly, cocooned in his husband's arms he could finally let go and voice his fear. Remus laid a soft kiss on the raven locks,

"I know, me neither." He snorted in a mirthless laughter, "It's so unfair. There's nothing we can do but sit here and lament what could have been." Harry straightened up, looking Remus in the eye,

"I'm not going to give up. We're going to fight for Aaron; I don't care what we have to do." Remus leaned back and sighed. Of course Harry would react that way, it was in his nature to be aflame with enthusiasm and righteous rage whenever things got a little tense. Lily used to be the same way- all fire and smoke. Luckily Harry's reactions had been somewhat balanced by James' more subdued nature or else Remus suspected the British Isles would probably have been submerged under at least six feet of water by now.

"What the hell can we do?" Remus cried out, quite annoyed by Harry's stubbornness right now.

"I don't know… But…" Harry was positively at the verge of tears- frustration, unfairness and grief were battling inside him and he couldn't possibly see a way out from this predicament. Remus stood and watched helpless as Harry was about to fall apart without him being able to offer nothing more than a shoulder to cry on. He hated being this useless. A knock on the door caused Remus to snap out of his stupor. He walked to the door and from the corner of his eye he could see Harry collapsing on his sofa, head buried in his hands.

"Hello professor Lupin," Remus cursed under his breath, the girl was the last thing he wanted to see, talk to or deal with right now.

"Miss Prescott, is there anything you wanted?" He asked tiredly, hoping the nuisance of a girl would make herself scarce.

"Professor…" She smiled sweetly, her voice dripping honey and insincerity, "I've been wondering about something you said in class, and I just… could you… _explain_ it to me?" Remus rubbed his hand over his face, trying to compose himself and present a dignified front to the student body,

"I'm really sorry Miss Prescott, but right now isn't a very good time…" He started when the whelp actually clutched his arm, opening her big blue eyes wide and pleading,

"But sir… It's really important…" Remus clenched his jaw, making a colossal effort to keep the acerbic answer that was on the tip of his tongue from slipping out, but apparently he needn't bother, because a second later he was pushed aside but the angry Boy-Who-Lived, who glared the poor girl into a quivering mess on the floor,

"Listen here, you little tart, when a professor tells you he doesn't have time for your inane 'issues' that means he doesn't have bloody time for you! Now if you're done trying to seduce my _husband_ I suggest you _piss off_!" The girl let out a small frightened squeak and fled down the corridor as fast as she could. Remus watched her going and wondered if he could employ Harry full time as pest controller, not only will his husband be most useful, but Remus could certainly use the extra entertainment. When the door slammed behind the girl's back Harry turned to Remus,

"What?" He nearly barked, still hyped from his encounter with one of the devil's spawns. Remus felt the smile tugging at the corners of his lips,

"Thank you." He mouthed and Harry felt his rage dissipating, replaced by a lop-sided grin,

"Anytime love." He said and kissed Remus' nose in affection, "I thought you were going to chew me over for thinking that all students want from you is sex." Remus let out a small laugh,

"Oh, that one actually did." Harry's jaw dropped, "She's been trying to get into every male teacher's bed, in hope of boosting her grades. Even a week worth of detentions with Filch that Severus gave her didn't help. And the thing is, she's a Ravenclaw…" Remus explained cheerfully as he led Harry back to the sofa, tossing what seemed like a careless locking charm at the door behind him. Maybe he should award Ravenclaw with points for this distraction, if it made Harry smile…

Together the two snuggled on the sofa, holding each other tenderly. Remus leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Harry's lips,

"Don't worry, we'll find a way." He whispered and kissed his loved one again, and Harry moaned softly into his mouth as the kiss deepened,

"Oh, for the love of Merlin, get a bloody room!"

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** The rain bit was written after we had a storm one night, somewhere in the beginning of November. It was really loud and both me and my roommate got up in the middle of night and unplugged all the electric appliances in the house because of it. The really sad part is- after that week we didn't have another drop of rain for the rest of the month! And December wasn't much wetter. It's like my sister said- Decembaugust… (December-August…)

Oh, and no more Miss nice fluffy writing for a while- I bet even you got a sugar poisoning from it by now… time for some action I reckon.


	20. Chapter 20

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**I'm really sorry it took so long, I had to struggle with a major writer's block that just wouldn't let me write a single word. My friend Jul and I reached the conclusion that it's because I'm no longer in university and I don't have any more homework or exams that I need to study to and then write fiction while pretending to study. I am now free as a bird to write to my heart's content and therefore haven't managed to write anything in ages! Crap. **

**This chapter isn't beta'd. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Twenty**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

"Oh, for the love of Merlin, get a bloody room!" Harry and Remus both jumped up at hearing the irate drawl. Draco was quite please to see that they looked rebuked, and man did he love causing the two of them to look like naughty children. Too bad the only chance he got to do that was when they were being caught in compromising positions, which was quite detrimental to Draco's mental health, or so he liked to let Harry and Remus know at every turn.

"Draco!" Harry cried, as if the blond was the last man he'd expected to see, "Carys?" He looked at the smiling young Welsh woman, who _was_ the last person he'd expected to see,

"Sit down Harry, we have news." Draco said in a curt tone, his demeanor serious all of a sudden. Harry dropped heavily on the sofa next to Remus and the two reached out for each other without letting their eyes slip from Draco. "I did a little digging and found out who's behind this… plot." He said in a somewhat grave tone, and Harry gulped- he did not like the sound of that.

"It's Cornelia. She's the one who contacted Aaron's parents." Carys said sadly. The truth was she was quite ashamed of her colleague. Their whole work in the OCC, the whole reason she became a social worker in the first place was to help the poor children, not to let their prejudice and hatred rule them.

Harry felt as if all the blood in his body was beginning to boil, and for a second he was afraid he'd burst out in gushing lava-hot rivers of blood. He simply could not believe that someone hated werewolves so much, that someone hated _him_ so much to do something like that. This woman made him wish he was back to dealing with Uncle Vernon. He couldn't possibly sit anymore. He jumped to his feet and started pacing.

"She contacted Aaron's parents?" Remus asked incredulously, "And they agreed to take him back?" Carys nodded sadly, "That doesn't make sense! Hermione told us they severed all ties to Aaron- they don't have a claim on him anymore!"

"That's true, but the OCC tends to overlook such details if the parents show willingness towards accepting their child back." Carys explained. She traded a quick look with Draco, bracing herself before she divulged the next piece of information, "We think that… We have quite a solid base to believe that Cornelia had been terrorizing Aaron's parents into agreeing to this." She offered reluctantly and Harry simply dropped where he was standing, which happened to be right into Remus' lap.

"That bitch! We can't just let her get away with that! Luckily I've got just the man for the job." The four occupants of the room snapped their heads to see Lily Potter gliding through the wall followed by a stranger's ghost. Harry sighed, the more he got to know his mother, the more he dreaded any idea that came into her head. And being dead just seemed to make it worse.

"Mum, what are you doin…" He started when the fireplace burst in green flames and out stepped Seamus, looking as if he took the floo by running into it. "Shey? Where's Aaron?"

For a second Harry forgot all about Lily in favour of finding out what happened to his boy.

"He's in the 'Sugardust' blowing soap bubbles with Mairead. What the hell is going on? Mairead told me you left looking paler than a ghost. No offence Lily."

"None taken love." The ghost beamed at him. Harry sighed and sat back down, gesturing for the rest of the room to follow.

"I got an official Ministry letter today, claiming that Aaron's biological parents came forward and want him back. And now Draco and Carys say that it's all been a plot by the devil's little helper!"

"The Toad?" Seamus positively squeaked, managing to sound both enraged and confused. Harry nodded grimly. The Toad was what Aaron had said the woman looked like and it was enough to convince Seamus she was up to no good.

"We need to decide what we're going to do. We're not going to let Aaron go without a fight." Remus said with so much conviction it made Harry want to grab him and just snog him for all it was worth, but there were far too many people about- not to mention, Lily Potter!

"As I understand you have a problem you need solving. I can 'solve' it for you." The stranger's ghost spoke for the first time, with a thick Irish accent, which made Harry glare at Lily menacingly.

"Who the hell are you?" He nearly barked at the ghost. Lily gave her son a bright smile that only caused Harry to get angrier. Sometimes the whole 'growing older and wiser than your dead and ghostly parents' was really undoing him.

"Name's Mickey O'Malley." The ghost said in a gruff voice, while examining his nails in a disinterested kind of way. Harry took a deep breath and sent a deathly glare at Lily, hoping to convey the message that if she wasn't dead already he'd be happy to get her there. Lily looked on the verge of exploding with laughter.

"Lily!"

"What? He can help. You should listen to him." She tried to appease her son, who looked like he'd love nothing more than bodily tossing both her and Mickey out of the room.

"I reckon muggle explosives are the best, none of that posh and poncy charms you lot like to use. Get the job done- nice and clean." He grinned at the room before amending himself, "Well, not so much clean, but gets the job done every time." Harry flexed his jaw, taking a deep breath through his nose and trying to decide the best way of approaching the subject.

"Lily, _please_ take him away!" Lily shook her head with a challenging smile, and Harry turned exasperated to Seamus, "Shey!" The young Irishman looked offended,

"What? Why do I have to get rid of him? Just because I'm Irish too?" Harry threw his arms up in the air and slumped back onto the sofa, completely defeated and acknowledging the fact that he had absolutely no control over the current situation.

"I think you should go public." Draco announced once he stopped snickering over the Potter family dynamics. Harry gave him a tired look, "Call up your pal Skeeter and give her an exclusive. Tell her how the Toad had it in for you from day one and expose her affiliation with the BWPS. I bet the public would absolutely love to hear that their hero is being treated so shamefully." A part of Harry was actually contemplating the idea when he heard a deep slow voice beside him.

"No." Harry looked over at Remus, who shook his head firmly. "I don't want to expose Aaron to any of that shit. He's suffered enough and the last thing he needs is having his picture splashed all over the front page of the bloody 'Prophet'. I will not have my son turned into a joke." Harry smiled softly at him; he couldn't possibly love Remus more than he had at the moment.

"Just think about it Remus, it's perfectly logical and there's no need to bring Aaron into it…" Draco tried to argue but Remus refused to listen. Soon Lily and Mickey, still in his 'blowing things up' mood joined in the argument and Harry tuned them all out. This was not helping their situation one bit. They needed a permanent fix, hopefully something that would not involved either him or Remus or both ending up in Azkaban or on the front page of any sort of newspaper. At long last he stood up and yelled,

"STOP!" The entire room went silent in seconds, all recognizing the power of 'The Wizarding World Hero'. "Stop arguing and stop being silly. Mum," He turned to Lily, "You know I love you to bits, but death had really made you bonkers, so please take away your homicidal friend with you and I hope you'll choose your friends better next time." Lily raised a mocking eyebrow at him, but Harry ignored her, "Draco, you've been one of my best friends and I'll love you forever for that but I really have to agree with Remus on not wanting to expose myself or my family to the likes of Rita Skeeter. Now," He glared at each person in the room in turn, noting in satisfaction they were shying from his gaze, "Does anyone has an idea that does not involve Rita Skeeter _or_ any form of violence?" Carys raised her hand slowly, as if she was asking her teacher for permission to speak in class. Harry smiled slightly and nodded at her,

"You _could_ go and talk to his parents." The others seemed mildly disappointed by the unimaginative solution but Harry ignored them, gesturing for the young Welsh woman to continue, "I just _happen_ to have their addresses here, and if you'd like you could go and talk to them and see if they really mean to take Aaron back or just being scared into things by Cornelia."

"Why do I have a feeling this is not entirely kosher?" Harry said slowly, and Carys shrugged,

"Because technically you're not suppose to hear it from me," She explained with a small smile, "But technically you could have walked into the Records Office in the Ministry and find the addresses yourself. And there is no law against going to visit people, right?" Harry and Remus exchanged a look,

"S'ppose not…" Harry muttered, still trying to find flaws in the plan. Other than the obvious which, of course, was to face the people who birthed Aaron. Harry didn't want to meet them; he didn't want to know anything about them- as far as he was concerned Aaron was as good as being born from air. Harry felt a little selfish at thinking that, but he wanted the boy as his own- a clean slate with no bothersome and abandoning parents tied to him.

"His parents are not married, and apparently never were. He's been living most of his life with his father." He heard Carys tell Remus and sighed, great- not only was he to go and see Aaron's parents he was going to have to make two separate trips for that!

"Don't worry Cailean, we'll do this together- it'll be fine." Remus said with a bright smile, one that Harry knew he used whenever he wanted to assure them both of something he wasn't entirely sure of himself. Carys and Draco exchanged an uneasy glance before Draco cleared his throat,

"Erm, actually… we think only Harry should go." The Lupin couple gave him a suspicious look, "Well, the whole reason they dropped Aaron in the first place was because he was a werewolf, I don't think that being visited by another will be all too conducive for your cause." Harry felt the desperate, mad laughter tickling his throat. Gods, he hated this!


	21. Chapter 21

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**This chapter is un-beta'd. **

**centerMini-Moony- chapter Twenty-one**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry looked at the piece of paper in his hands one more time, just to make sure he got to the right place. He was currently standing in front of a large building down in east London, he was in the estates! And according to the address Carys had given him, this was where Aaron's mother was living! Harry wasn't a prejudice man- or at least he tried not to be, but he _was_ disappointed. So much for the fantasy of the little suburban home with a couple of loving but scared parents who left their werewolf child on the doorstep of St. Mungo's in search of better life for him. Right now Harry was just happy that Aaron had no recollection of his former life.

Following the numbers on the doors he reached number 99. The flat was located on the sixth floor, which overlooked the concrete yard below. Harry thought it all rather depressing, but then again, he'd been living in the 'neat and rich' suburbs all his childhood and we all know how _that_ turned out…

Taking a deep breath he braced himself and knocked on the door, cringing a little when loud shouts came from the other side. A moment later the door was opened by a young woman, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, balancing a toddler on her hip. She looked Harry up and down just as Harry racked his eyes over her. The woman had Aaron's nose, and eye colour.

"Yeah?" Harry pulled himself together and tried to smile,

"Are you Mrs. Fountain?" He asked, as politely as he could,

"Oi, that's Miss ta ya!" She snapped while blowing a bubble of her gum. Harry grinded his teeth, trying his best to ignore the awfully disturbing sound.

"Right, Miss Fountain? Denise?" The woman nodded and blew another bubble. Harry had to dig his nails into the palm of his hand to keep from reaching out and yanking that damned piece of gum from her mouth, "I'm here to talk about Aaron."

"Oh, not you too." Denise rolled her eyes and then sighed when Harry gave her a look, "There was this old hag who came here, wanted me to take the whelp back. I told her to sod off, didn't have anything to do with the boy since he was one year old!"

"Why is that?" Despite himself Harry discovered he was quite intrigued by Aaron's story. Even though he promised himself he wouldn't get involved and that he didn't care who where Aaron's birth parents and what their background was, he suddenly wanted to know everything Denise Fountain could tell him. Hopefully without the bloody chewing gum!

"Well, you see, his father and I, we were never really 'together'," She stared explaining, still standing at her doorway, still balancing the baby on her hip and still chewing her bloody gum. "I was his secretary ya know, I was only a temp really, me mum never wanted me to go and work in the City but hey- you get the best gigs there, not to mention fit blokes." She said with a wriggle of her eyebrows which made Harry want to roll his eyes. Gods, this was revolting!

"Anyway, long story short, when I found out I was up the duff with tha one, I told his da that I was planning on getting rid of it, but he wouldn't hear of it. See, I've already got a couple, I didn't really need anotha." She said while hoisting the baby higher on her hip. Harry could feel the start of a splitting headache behind his eyes, for the love of Merlin, what was she like?

"So, what happened?" Denise shrugged,

"Brian said he'd take him, said I had no right to finish my baby off like tha. He even said we should 'try and work it out' between us!" She snorted in dismiss, "What a knob! Like I'd do som'ing as barmy as that!" Harry tried to smile politely, but what he really wanted to do was claw the woman's eyes out- she was so bloody annoying!

"So, he took Aaron away?" Please, please, please let it be the case, Harry prayed silently.

"Yeah, at first he'd come by with him, saying 'Aaron needed to see his mother' and that sort of rot. But then I met Kevin and he put a stop to tha. Haven't seen the boy since then."

"And you… never wondered, I mean, didn't you want to see him?" Frankly, Harry was quite amazed that someone wouldn't want to see or have any connection to a child as adorable and sweet as Aaron, but meeting with Denise Fountain, he was actually glad she didn't.

"Nah, got a few more stashed back there," She laughed, "T'was a relief really." Harry nodded tightly and thanked her for her time. The woman looked like she was about to sneer at him but instead she walked back into the house and shut the door behind her. Shouts erupted from the flat almost immediately.

Harry shook his head and started the tedious route downstairs. Well, that was fucking waste of time! Looking at the piece of paper in hand again he sighed and looked around him, spotting a small alleyway between two buildings where he could slip in to apparate.

When he opened his eyes again Harry nearly wept with joy. _This_ was much more like it! The small townhouse looked inviting enough, but it was the garden Harry could see running through the front and sides of the house that really made Harry smile. He could just bet there was a bigger portion of it round the back. Walking to the door he knocked, plastering on his biggest smile.

The door was answered by a child, with huge eyes and a bored expression. Harry judged her to be about nine or ten years old and briefly wondered how old Aaron's father should be.

"Hello. Can I please talk to your father?" The girl gave a dismissive snort,

"Brian!!" She shouted behind her shoulder, making Harry frown a little. Not his daughter then… A young man rushed to the door, crying,

"Alicia! Manners!" He tried to usher the girl back into the house but she slipped from under his arm and trudged back inside. The man smiled apologetically at Harry who was feeling the headache creeping up between his eyes again. He took a good look at Brian Hall- one thing was for sure- you couldn't claim he _wasn't_ Aaron's father. It was more than a little disturbing to Harry. "May I help you?" He asked politely and Harry shook his head to gather his bearings.

"Yes, I'm here to talk about Aaron." The man looked into the house briefly before he stepped out, shutting the door behind him, forcing Harry to take a step back and stand lower on the stairs.

"Look," The man hissed, "I already said I'd take the child back, even though my fiancé is less than thrilled about it- what else do you want from me?"

"No!" Harry cried, "I'm not here to try and make him take him back- I'm here to try and convince you otherwise." The man looked puzzled and Harry smiled,

"My husband and I would like to adopt Aaron." Brian gave him a skeptical look,

"Why? You know what he is, right?" Harry nodded,

"Yes, I do. My husband is one as well." Brian contemplated what Harry was saying for a moment before he offered a tentative smile,

"I guess you better come inside then."

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** I'm kinda basing my description of Aaron's mum's house on Rose Tyler's in 'Doctor Who'- mostly because I don't come from England and have no real way of knowing how these places look like (in the two times I've been to London we mostly stuck to the touristic places- fancy that…).

My cockney isn't too good. If you've got any cool phrases or words you know, I'd love to hear!

You know how in the movie 'Chicago' there's this scene where all the prisoners sing why they're in jail? Remember the girl who killed her husband because he was blowing up gums? I'm like that- I swear I could maim people who do that near me… All my friends have learned by now…

I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but the next one just kept going on and on and I had to break it down. Let's face it- Aaron's dad is the real story, not his trashy mother…


	22. Chapter 22

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**This chapter is un-beta'd.**

**Er… Length warning I guess…**

**I want to thank you all for taking the time and dropping a word in for me. It's really makes my day to read them. Thank you. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Twenty-two**

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Harry followed the man through the house, which was neat and tidy, except for the boxes that stood on the floor in various places, indicating that someone was in the process of moving in. Brian led the way to the kitchen, smiling apologetically as he cleared a heavy box from the dining table. "Please, have a seat. I'm sorry about the mess, Dona and Alicia are moving in with me and the house is piled to the roof with boxes." Harry smiled and sat himself down while Brian was busy with making them both a cup of tea.

"That's alright; it seems you've been quite busy lately." Harry commented casually. He wasn't sure what to say- Brian seemed nice enough, someone that Harry could actually relate to and perhaps be friends with had the circumstances of their meeting were different. But it was strange, sitting in a man's home knowing that your mission was to try and convince him _not_ to take his child back. Harry felt despicable.

Brian handed him a tea mug and Harry smiled in thanks, wrapping his chilled fingers around the hot ceramic. For a long moment the two just sat there, at the kitchen table, each nursing a steaming mug and neither sure how to start the conversation neither wanted to have. At long last it was Brian, who cracked first,

"How… How is he doing?" He asked in a somewhat timid voice as if he was unsure he was even allowed to ask such a thing. Harry couldn't help the wide smile spreading across his face when he thought about Aaron,

"He's doing great, he's absolutely brilliant." Brian flashed him a sad smile,

"I miss him. So much." He mused, almost to himself, and Harry lowered his gaze to his tea cup again chewing on his lip. "It's been just the two of us for so long; it feels so strange not having him around anymore."

"So you're… You'll," Harry couldn't even look at Brian right now, feeling his world falling apart, chips and fragments falling down faster and faster, ready to cause an avalanche. "Are you going to…?" He felt so pathetic, unable to articulate the words properly. Brian shook his head,

"I can't." He said simply and Harry's heart gave an involuntary leap of joy, which he tried his hardest not to let show on his face. Instead he nodded his head somberly,

"I understand." Brian Hall let out a short, mirthless laughter,

"No, I don't believe you do." Harry looked up, mildly puzzled at the man's harsh tone, and Brian sighed, "I don't know what you've heard about me but I'm not like you." Harry nodded in understanding,

"You're a squib." Brian nodded again,

"Yes. Even though my family is magical I've never had a real connection to magic. I've attended muggle schools, and lived pretty much as a muggle most of my life." Harry bit his lip, not wanting to pry but somehow in dire need for answers, anything that would explain Aaron to him,

"Are your parents pure blooded?" He asked cautiously, hoping that Brian won't find his question insulting- after all, the only experience Harry ever had with squibs was dealing with Filch, and he wasn't one to take any sort of questions good-naturedly. Brian, however, didn't seem insulted in the least; taking a long sip from his tea he gave Harry a small smile,

"My father is, but my mother is muggle-born." Brian's head rose to fix Harry with a steady glance, "Just like yours, I believe." Harry gulped the mouthful of tea he had just imbibed heavily. Brian's last sentence was the last thing he'd expected to hear. For someone who claimed he never had much contact with magic, Brian Hall sure knew who to credit his life to.

"Yes." Was all Harry could think of saying in response. Brian ignored him,

"I know all there is to know about magic, but for me it's like a… story, something that happens to others but not me." Harry nodded, that was what he used to think about magic, before he found out he could actually do it.

"Denise is also a squib." It wasn't so much a question but a statement, and Brian nodded,

"Yes, but she doesn't know it." He explained, "You see, her blood family shunned her when she was very young and she was adopted. I only found out she was a squib because I was doing some research as to my own family tree in the Ministry of Magic and looked up her name as a whim. When Aaron was born I hoped beyond hope that he'd be like us- so that I could spare him the grief of being different." Again, Harry could relate to that. Being different sucked. He was bursting with questions about Brian and Denise's relationship- how could a man educated and smart as Brian, who was also nice and Harry suspected quite shy around women end up with someone as… _colourful_ as Denise Fountain. But he knew this was pure gossip and decided that unless Brian brought the matter up he was not going to ask a thing about it. Deep down Harry dreaded the answer.

"He's magical." He told Brian, not without a healthy amount of pride, "And quite powerful at that. He's a bright child." Brian's smile grew wide, unable to avoid the slight preening at his son's praise,

"He _is_ bright." Harry had a slightly disturbing feeling that both of them were thanking the heavenly dainties that Aaron didn't inherit his brightness from Denise. "And I know he's magical. I found out when I took him to St. Mungo's after…" Brian's voice faltered and he lowered his eyes back to his tea cup, his face flushing with shame. Harry cleared his throat, bracing himself for the one thing he both wanted to know and dreaded the most,

"If you don't mind me asking- how did it happen?" While having no qualms himself about using the words 'bitten' and 'turned into a werewolf' he had a feeling Brian would just withdraw further into his shell if he was to say them out loud, so he settled for the ambiguous 'it'. Brian didn't answer for a long time, studying the lines of his fingers splayed on the patterned tablecloth. Harry took a deep breath and frantically thought of a way to steer the conversation away from painful memories when Brian spoke, quietly and with tear filled voice,

"We were out on the countryside for a weekend with friends. It was supposed to be a bonding weekend, one that would bring closer Aaron and Dona and Alicia. My fiancée wasn't too fond of Aaron, especially when she learned who is mother is." Brian's brow frowned in his effort to keep the tears at bay. He didn't want to break down in front of this virtual stranger- even if it was the great Harry Potter, and the man who wanted to adopt and give better life to Aaron than he could. Somehow the thought only made things harder for him.

"So, what happened?" Harry coaxed gently, contemplating reaching across the table and placing his hand in a comforting gesture over Brian's. Eventually he decided against it, as it seemed a little too familiar than the two were- even with what Brian was about to tell him.

"I'm not sure. We were sleeping upstairs and Aaron was in the room downstairs when I heard the screaming." Brian cringed visibly as the memories assaulted him again. Each time he relieved the story it made him feel worse, deepened the guilt of not being able to help his son, "I rushed downstairs but it was already too late. I found my baby boy lying in a pool of his own blood," A choked sob escaped the paling man's lips, and he covered his face, mumbling between his fingers, "His entire side mutilated and the window broken. He looked so small, so… ghostly pale…" Harry bit his lip hard, trying to shake the images from his head, as Brian took a small break, trying to recompose himself, "Within minutes Aurors swarmed the place, they took Aaron and me to St. Mungo's and obliviated the rest of the house." Brian finished with a small sniffle and Harry frowned, Aurors didn't usually show up at sites of werewolf biting, which was how Remus' parents were able to hide his condition for so long.

"What do you mean Aurors showed up at the scene? They don't normally do that." Brian shook his head, even he knew that Aurors weren't suppose to pop up moments after someone's been attacked- because if they did, they bloody well should have done it moments _before_ and spare a lot of people a lot of pain.

"Turns out they were trying to track down this werewolf, called… Fen…um…" Brian fumbled with the name that refused to roll off his tongue and Harry gasped,

"Fenrir Greyback?" He barked out in disbelief. Brian nodded in recognition and watched as Harry's face contorted in rage. Apparently the savior was quite familiar with the name.

"He's the one who bit my husband…" Harry breathed in response to Brian questioning look, "He's made it his life mission to hurt and turn as many people as he can- it doesn't matter if they're muggle or magical, and those useless Aurors…" Harry let out a bark of mirthless laughter, "Those fucking nitwits have been unable to apprehend the bugger for over twenty years!" Brian smiled sadly; it was really strange hearing his exact feelings of anger and resentment towards the people who so callously brushed off his son's condition returned by another man.

"They apologized that they couldn't save my son…" Harry snorted in dismissal. Gods, if he could only go to the Aurors headquarters and just hex the lot of them! Only he had a feeling Tonks and Kingsly won't appreciate his sentiment so much… The two men in the kitchen took a long moment to compose themselves. Brian shot a few nervous glances at Harry's direction, contemplating whether to ask what he wanted or not, at long last his curiosity won him over,

"So… You mentioned your husband, a couple of times now… How… I mean, and I don't want to sound rude or anything, but…" Harry watched, quite amused as Brian fumbled with the words, and decided to take pity on the man,

"How can I be with him? Knowing what he is?" Brian nodded gratefully at not having to say the actual words, and Harry smiled, "I love him. That's all there's to it."

"Yeah, but did you know? Before you got married?"

"Of course I did. I knew a long time before anything ever happened." Harry worried his lip for a moment, trying to decide what to say next. From some reason he didn't feel this was the right place and time to divulge the whole 'I travelled back in time and met Remus when he was 17 and then managed by some miracle to convince him to keep shagging me when I came back' story. "I love Remus for _who_ he is not for what people think they know of his condition."

"Then you are truly as amazing as they say you are…" Harry tried to fight off the blush creeping over his cheeks. Compliments were something he still wasn't used to- even though he did manage to smile politely and brush them off gracefully these days rather than blush crimson red and mumble refusals as he did in the past.

"Not really. Mind you, he did have a few things to say about us being together… it was hard to convince him that I really want him." Harry rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little strange about looking at things in hindsight. He did put an enormous amount of effort into getting Remus to admit he loved him, didn't he? But it was worth it- every single minute of despair and anger, every time Remus turned his back on him and subsequently on himself. "We've been together for so long…" He chuckled, and Brian smiled sadly,

"Sounds like you two have a solid marriage." Harry looked over at the young man, wondering if the longing in the man's voice was real or just his imagination.

"I'd like to think so. Yes." Brian gave another heart wrenching sigh, and whispered almost to himself,

"And now you have Aaron too." Harry gulped uneasily. It was true that he came here for the sole purpose of trying to convince Brian Hall to give up on his only son, but now that he actually met the man and spoken to him, he felt like ten kinds of bastard for it. Damn him and soft Gryffindor heart… If only Draco were here to do the dirty job for him…

"Brian…" He started hesitantly, not sure what he could actually say to the man, but Brian apparently didn't really needed Harry's input. In fact, the man looked determined to relieve at least some of the burden he'd been carrying around for those last couple of months, and frankly, Harry couldn't blame him,

"When we were in the hospital I realized I had no choice. I couldn't take him back with me," Tears were filling the poor man's eyes and he clutched his tea mug harder, trying to control his emotions, "What would I tell Dona? How would I take care of him? I looked at him, lying on that hospital bed, so small and fragile and I couldn't. I just couldn't face it. How would I hide it from the world? How could I face his pain every single month? How do you?" He lifted pleading, wet blue eyes at Harry, so similar to Aaron's that Harry's own nearly filled with tears as well,

"There's a potion." He answered softly, "Something that allows him to keep his human mind and that numbs the pains of transformation." But I know what you mean. I couldn't imagine being in your shoes, he added in his head, not daring to say the words out loud lest they come out condescending.

"I asked the Aurors to obliviate Dona and Alicia of any record of Aaron. It was just too painful to have them asking me about him." In a way it was a small blessing, since his fiancée and son never got along well. At least now some of the tension in the house had been gone. He could never completely understand why Dona did not like Aaron but he had a sneaking suspicion that he shouldn't have told her about Denise.

"You severed your ties to him." Brian shrugged, trying to diminish the hurt that the action still caused him. He was guilt ridden and hated being that way. If only things could go back to the way they were before that dreaded night… he'd give _anything_ for that to happen.

"I had to. I was promised he'd be taken to a good home, someone who'd know how to take care of him. I'm glad it was you." Harry gave a soft smile. Of course Brian would be happy that his son was going to live with the Boy-Who-Lived, the hero of all heroes in the magical world. But Harry silently vowed to make Brian proud that Aaron would stay with him and Remus because he and Remus were great parents not war heroes.

"Is Dona… is she a squib too?" He asked tentatively, trying to reassure himself it was a valid question and not prying. Brian shook his head, completely unfazed by the question,

"No. she's just a plain old muggle. She doesn't know anything about magic. It would have been impossible to tell her about Aaron. It's best this way." Harry took a deep breath, gathering his famous Gryffindor courage around him like a cloak before he plunged into the matter for which he came,

"Um… So are you going to retract your decision of taking him back?" Brian looked momentarily flustered before he shook his head and forced a smile on his face,

"Right, yes. I'm sorry about that- this woman came here and told me that I would be accused of child abandoning if I didn't take Aaron back. She said I could be facing years in Azkaban for that." Harry's jaw dropped, he couldn't believe the Toad would go that far! That was… not only mean but completely illegal thing to do!

"The bitch! I can't believe she'd do such a thing! Look, Brian, what you did is quite understandable, and there is no shame in seeking better life for your son. What she did is inexcusable and plain mean. Not to mention she is not in her rights to say something like that to anyone! Least of all _you_. I promise you that we're going to do everything within our power to stop her from dealing with anymore cases of child care. She's pure evil!" Brian leaned back in his chair, looking at the fuming Harry and feeling the power radiating from the young man. He could truly see the person who freed them all from the Dark Lord in the man before him. Brian could almost see the magic crackling around Harry's form and he was glad he wasn't on the receiving end of his wrath. But on the other hand, he did not feel one iota of mercy towards the woman who was going to get it.

"Good." Harry was caught a little by surprise by the readiness of Brian to his plans for the Toad. Somehow the gentle man before him didn't come across as vengeful to Harry. Chuckling a little and shaking his head to himself he pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket, smiling apologetically to Brian as he passed it across the table.

"I'm really sorry about this, but I need you to sign this, so that we could proceed. It's a standard consent form to reverse what you have told the Toad." Brian let out a small snort of laughter at the name and nodded. He dutifully read every word on the parchment twice before he rose from his seat in search of a pen. Once signed, Brian slid the parchment back across the table as fast as he could, as if touching it would contaminate him. Harry quickly pocketed the parchment.

"I guess this is it." Brian said in a small voice, studying his fingers and refusing to lift his gaze to Harry. Harry bit his lip, uncertain as to what he could say to make Brian feel any better.

"Remus and I would love nothing more than to provide a stable, happy home for Aaron. I promise you." Brian nodded again, lost in thought. For a long moment he said nothing, and Harry wondered if he should just leave. He gently pushed his chair backwards, preparing to get up when Brian's voice caught up with him,

"Will you do me one favour?" Harry sat heavily back down,

"Of course I will." He instantly replied, after all, this was the least he could do after taking the man's son from him. Brian looked up, his eyes once again shining with unshed tears but with a firm resolution in them,

"Would you obliviate me?" Harry's jaw dropped the utter shock evident on his face.

"What?"

"Would you obliviate me? I have a fiancée, and we're about to start new life. I've already lost Aaron; I don't want to lose Dona as well. Please, it'll be too hard for me to live with memories of my baby. Its better I don't have any recollection of him at all." Brian looked like he was about to cry, and Harry couldn't blame him.

That was a huge thing to ask, for both of them. To Harry if felt like his life were catching up with him again. Doing something bad for the greater good, was it not enough that he had to take life- albeit corrupted and half-lived, but life nonetheless and now he had to do this?

"Please…" Harry racked his hands in his hair, taking several deep breaths and trying to block out Brian's pleading eyes. He couldn't refuse, could he? Deny someone's happiness? Would he really be able to live with himself if he did? Would he be able to live with himself if he went through with it though? Obliviating someone's memory was never easy, but this was not just a few minutes or a day- this was erasing a lifetime from a person's mind.

"Are you sure? Completely sure?"

"Yes. As long as I know that Aaron will be in good hands, and grow up to be happy." Brian seemed far more determined than Harry would ever give him credit for and the young wizard finally nodded,

"I will do all that is in my power to see to that." He promised Brian before he lifted his wand. Brian instinctively closed his eyes, bracing himself for the magic that was to come. "You will probably be a little disoriented after we're though, so I suggest you not fight it and just head off for a little nap." Harry instructed monotonously, trying to create some sort of mental barrier between what he was about to do and himself. At Brian's nod he took another deep breath, releasing it slowly before he started muttering the complex spell to rid the man of all memories of the boy they both came to love with their life.

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**A/N: **I don't know if according to cannon Remus was really bitten by Fenrir Greyback. I don't really care either.

If you really want to know, Aaron is a result of a drunken sex during an office party. Not that Brian ever told Aaron that of course.


	23. Chapter 23

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**This chapter is un-beta'd.**

**A/N: Remus being bitten by Fenrir Greyback was suppose to be a footnote, kind of a little anecdote to bring him and Aaron closer. I'm glad I got it right though, yay. **

**RRW**** mentioned that the reason Greyback bit small children was because he believed they'd make better werewolves when they grow up. Of course I didn't know that beforehand but I don't mind pretending that I did and that this was why he went after Aaron… :-P**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Twenty-three**

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Feeling sick to his stomach about what just he did Harry apparated straight to Draco's office as soon as he left the Hall residence. Slapping the signed parchment on the blond's desk Harry spat,

"Here," Draco looked up in silence, noting Harry's mood and wisely decided to refrain from comment. He simply nodded and watched as Harry's face contorted in the effort to keep his emotions inside.

"Go home Harry, Remus and Aaron are waiting for you. I'll take it from here." He said quietly and Harry nodded before stumbling to the fireplace. Somehow he managed to throw some powder in and shout his destination.

Upon arriving at 'Rose Cottage' Harry's ears were assaulted by uplifting, jittery music and Remus' voice singing along, and somehow managing to be both off-key and a couple of beats behind the original music. Sticking his head into the living room Harry couldn't help the smile spreading on his face, seeing Remus dancing around the room, with Aaron in his arms, trying to sing while the boy was laughing so hard, it was hard for Remus not to join in,

"Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine…  
You can dance; you can jive, having the time of your life…"

"You're trying to turn him gay before he even hits puberty?" Harry asked amused as he tried to be heard over the cacophony that was his husband and ABBA. Remus turned around, surprised and a huge grin split his face,

"Hey, look who's here, it's daddy!" He cried happily and nearly pounced on Harry, sneaking a firm arm around his waist while Aaron reached with his shorter arm around Harry's neck, the two effectively trapping Harry in a triad embrace, then leaning forward and placing twin moist kisses on Harry's cheeks. Harry felt the tension melting away from his bones at his family's affection and returned both the hug and kisses with gusto. For a moment he could simply forget about the horrible afternoon he had and just enjoy the happiness of the simple things.

As soon as Harry had left after lunch to go and visit Aaron's birth parents Remus had been doing his best to try and make his boy smile, not so much for Aaron's sake but for his own. After botching a chocolate cake quite spectacularly and nearly blowing the kitchen up in the process they moved on to do some weeding in the garden, which they had to give up on soon enough when the poor boy had accidently touched some nettles. The piercing screaming not only caused Remus' ears to throb but also nearly gave the older werewolf a heart attack. Retreating to the safety of the house and healing Aaron's reddened hand Remus decided that some light music was in order to lift the boy's mood. What began civil enough quickly turned into the discord music abuse Harry had been subjected to upon arriving. After a long moment of cuddling Remus finally drew his wand out and turned off the music, for which Harry was silently thankful.

"Cana, why don't you go and play in your room for a bit, there's something I need to tell your daddy…" Remus said in a secretive voice, adding a little wink that caused Aaron to giggle a little nervously when he thought his dad might be in trouble, but nodded all the same. As soon as he was lowered to the ground the little boy sprinted to the door, and managed to open it on his second attempt. Once Aaron was out of the room Harry turned to Remus, a calculating look on his face,

"You've done something bad, and you dragged Aaron into it…" He observed but Remus' smile only grew wider and he wriggled his eyebrows. Harry shook his head fondly, knowing that was all the answer he would get unless he pumped Aaron for the information- which he won't ever do, and was something that Remus banked on. Besides, they had cleaned the kitchen and Aaron wasn't worse for wear after his encounter with the nettles so there really wasn't any reason to worry Harry further.

Taking Harry's hand in his own Remus led his husband to the sofa, sitting Harry down and taking his feet into his lap. Remus knocked the shoes and socks from Harry's feet and started massaging the arch and pads softly. Harry leaned back and let out a satisfied moan, he just loved it when Remus knew exactly when he needed some good foot-rub the most.

"So, how did it go?" Remus asked quietly, all former mischief gone, and Harry tossed his head back and covered his face with his hands,

"Horrible!" He cried, peering at Remus through his fingers. Remus sighed and deserted Harry's feet in favour of pulling his tormented husband to him. Harry snuggled in thanks to the warm, solid body and leaned his head on Remus' shoulder. "I went to visit his mother first- gods, I'm so glad he never got to know her…" Remus chuckled despite himself,

"Yes, I know, Carys filled me in on all the details of Aaron's case. Including the fact his mother had two children before she had Aaron and another one after. Busy girl…" Harry smiled sadly, and then a horrible thought struck him- what if Aaron grew up to be a slag like his mother? He rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried to convince himself that wouldn't be too bad since Aaron couldn't get pregnant... Remus' voice tore him away from the disturbing thoughts, "What about the father?"

"He was nice. He loves Aaron so much..." Harry sighed, feeling the weight dragging him down again. "He signed the form."

"Well, that's good." Remus said cautiously, sensing that Harry was holding back and waiting for him to find the right time and words to tell him.

"He... he asked me to... He asked me to obliviate him." The words were barely above a whisper but Remus heard them nonetheless and drew his husband closer. "And I did it."

"It was his choice. He was probably feeling too overwhelmed and wanted to relieve some of the pressure of having to deal with what happened." Harry jumped to his feet and started pacing the room,

"Relieve the pressure? I took away all the memories that man had of Aaron. He doesn't even know he ever had a son!" Remus sighed and shook his head,

"Harry, Cailean, love... Merlin... Look at me," When Harry refused to do so, Remus jumped off the sofa and grabbed his husband by his shoulders, forcing Harry to look at him, "You are such a good soul, such a kind person, whose only wish in life is to make others happy, but baby, you have the ability to pack up guilt like no one I've ever met. What you did was a good thing. It was what Brian asked you to do and you are not going to start our life as Aaron's parents feeling guilty over it, you hear me?"

"I took away all his memories..." Harry whispered brokenly, refusing to let Remus comforting words penetrate his shield of guilt. Remus took another deep breath, this time to stop him from literally shaking sense into Harry,

"Listen to me, what happened to Aaron was unfortunate, but it wasn't yours or Brian Hall's fault. Brian couldn't deal with it, and you know what- I don't blame him. He's a squib, living in the muggle world, about to marry a muggle girl to whom he would never be able to explain what happened to his son. He's probably spending every single waking moment trying to figure out how he could have done things differently and how he could have saved his son. I know because I've seen my parents do that for nearly my whole life. You don't want Aaron to grow up knowing that he was the cause of his parents' miserable-ness, that every time they looked at him they'd remember what happened and blamed themselves. It's not healthy and I would not have my son go through it. Not after what he'd already been through." Remus finished his speech, a little short of breath and Harry simply slumped onto the sofa, feeling completely devoid of fighting spirit. Of course Remus was right; Remus was always right- that was what made them work so well as a couple, Remus was the brain and logic, the calm water while Harry was the heart and emotion, the burning fire.

"Did Carys also tell you who bit Aaron?" Remus nodded, even though Harry's head was lowered and he couldn't see him. Slowly he sat back down next to his husband,

"The way I see it, it means that both Aaron and I are of the same blood." Harry smiled softly, only Remus would be able to see things that way… "He's mine already."

"Doesn't that make you angry?" Harry asked softly, unable to grasp how Remus was taking all of this so calmly, "The injustice of… of it all! How they didn't manage to capture the bastard for so long and how…" Remus cupped Harry's cheek, halting the rambling,

"Frankly, I'm too tired to get angry anymore. I don't know where you draw all these energies from." He said with a small chuckle,

"What do you mean?" Harry asked suspiciously, wondering if Remus was making fun of him,

"I learned long ago that it doesn't matter what I do people will always fear me and hate what I am. That's why I've been hiding for so long."

"Yeah, until that slimy git Snape outed you!"

"Severus didn't do anything I didn't ask him to do." Remus intoned quietly, this was something he never told Harry before, after all it had been so long and they were all friends now and really, it didn't matter anymore,

"What are you saying?" Harry, on the other hand, was quite flabbergasted to hear that, after years of resenting Snape for telling the whole school about Remus, it turns out that he was acting on Remus' orders? Like he did Dumbledore? Damn that man and his secrets! He was still a slimy git though!

"I was no longer in seclusion in Wales," Remus shrugged, "Instead I came to a school full of children, curious ones. Hell a quarter of Hogwarts is composed from Ravenclaws plus the likes of Hermione Granger- and believe me there's at least one in every year. Someone was bound to discover my secret sooner or later." Harry nodded,

"Yes, Hermione found out after the lesson with the Bogart, but she didn't say anything, I think she had a little crush on you back then and wanted to protect you." He smiled wide at Remus' blush. The truth was Harry couldn't remember if Hermione did or didn't have a crush on their professor when they were thirteen, all he knew was that he certainly did.

"Right…" Remus sounded both skeptical and embarrassed. If Hermione hadn't been a constant fixture in their current lives he might have passed it up this little tidbit with a healthy dose of humor but the thought of her having a crush on him was rather disturbing… "Anyway, I wanted _you_ to know. Especially since you thought Sirius was a killer. I just wanted you to know you could trust at least one adult in your life." Harry snuggled close to his husband, resting his head on Remus' shoulder,

"I've always trusted you. Ever since you gave me chocolate on the train." Remus let out a small snort of laughter at that, trying to control himself,

"Oh, gods, that sounds so pedophilic!" He cried and Harry joined his laughter,

"Yeah, especially when you tried to pass it up as 'medical assistance'!" The two were practically rolling on the sofa now, laughing their heads off. It felt good to let go for a while. Eventually they both calmed down enough to catch their breath and Harry once more snuggled in Remus' arms,

"You're not mad at me for obliviating Brian?" Remus shook his head and smiled,

"No. A selfish part of me is glad, because now there are fewer obstacles on our way to get Aaron, but I honestly think you did the right thing. Brian deserves a good and happy life, and if Aaron can't be a part of it then he shouldn't be burdened by his memory. After all, Aaron isn't dead, which would have only made things harder for Brian in the long run."

"I _know_ you're right, I do," Harry sighed, "But I still feel guilty…" Remus took a couple of seconds to study the man next to him before a smile spread out on his face,

"Tell you what; I'm giving you 24 hours to process your guilt. By this time tomorrow I expect you to be fully emotionally functional because if I catch you giving Aaron one of those sad looks of yours I swear I'll obliviate you myself!" Harry's jaw dropped at the threat. He couldn't believe Remus was making deals on his remorse that was just… Slytherin. He tried to squirm his way out of the 'deal' but Remus held his gaze and refused to let Harry have a leeway out. He was not about to let Harry suffer for yet another thing he had no control over, he wasn't about to ruin their marriage and home life because of it. Besides, the deed was done and there was no way back. At long last Harry averted his eyes, admitting defeat.

"Fine, you win." He grunted and Remus had the grace to give him an enormous smile and a resounding kiss as a reward for his efforts.


	24. Chapter 24

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Twenty-four**

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It had been three days since Harry's visit to Aaron's birth parents and although Harry wasn't entirely guilt free for obliviating Brian Hall he was making a good progress which meant Remus didn't have to obliviate him and start a whole new cycle of guilt.

But despite Remus' most optimistic projections, things haven't been left to calm down for even a week. It was while the three of them were having breakfast that Draco called, looking like he'd rather hex himself than tell them what he needed and Harry's mind was plagued again with fantasies of grabbing Aaron and simply disappearing. He doubted the Office of Child Care would chase them all the way to, say, Jamaica...

It took Remus, upon seeing the look in Harry's eyes, quite some time to calm his husband down, but with the combined force of some breathing excursuses and strong tea with triple ginger cookies Harry finally calmed down enough to be able to send Aaron to Seamus and meet their doom in Draco's office.

About fifteen minutes later the nervous couple was sitting in front of Draco's desk, hands clasped together and brows furrowed with worry. Draco took a deep breath and pressed his thumbs against his forehead for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, mostly because he was dealing with Harry 'Too stubborn for his own Good' Lupin.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news." He started, seeing Harry's eyes narrowing already, "It turns out that the Toad had gotten wind of the fact that Harry had obliviated Brian Hall and has armed herself with legal aid."

"They are suing Harry?" Remus asked softly, in a tone that always made Harry shiver, knowing that his husband could be just as menacing and dangerous when angry as he was sweet and loving when happy,

"No, not exactly _suing_," Draco answered, frowning a little. During his studies he did take a course on muggle law, mostly to keep Hermione off his back for being a pure-blooded snob, so he did know the lingo, but since he hasn't been dealing with any muggle cases, it's been a while since he last heard it, "They are calling for a hearing in front of the Wizengamot. They think that Harry obliviated Brian Hall illegally."

"What??" Harry jumped to his feet, pacing the length of the room while Remus and Draco shared a brief moment of eye rolling. "That is completely preposterous! He asked me to!" Draco rubbed his forehead briefly,

"Harry, sit down!" Draco commanded, but the young man ignored him and continued his raged marching, Draco caught Remus' eye and sighed, giving up on getting Harry back in his seat, "I know he asked you to, and you don't have to convince either of us, but the Wizengamot is calling for a hearing."

"Oh, that's just brilliant," Harry let out a small bark of laughter that was bordering on maddened, "I've been to a Ministry hearing! They tie you up to the bloody chair and force-feed you Veritaserum!"

"Sit down!" Draco all but yelled at his friend, and Harry stopped his pacing to glare at him, "They don't do that anymore. Ever since Amelia Bones became minister they've been trying to fix all the mess that Fudge and Scrimgeour did! Now sit your arse back down in the chair or so help me Merlin I will put you in a full body-bind!" The threat finally hit its mark and Harry dropped heavily into the chair. Remus bit his lip and did his best not to look at his husband, knowing that Harry would be all the more enraged that he was finding the situation rather funny. Draco cleared his throat and daintily arranged some papers on his desk, trying to compose himself again after his outburst.

"As I said, they no longer shackle people to the chair or force-feed them Veritaserum during Ministry hearings. You will be required to drink some, but this is a new Ministry approved version that will not allow you to tell lies but will give you the pick of which parts of the truth to divulge. Now, you will be required to submit your memories from the meeting with Brian Hall in the presence of a ministry official and they will be examined by the Wizengamot prior to the hearing. This may take up to a week."

"Do you talk to all your clients pompously like that?" Harry asked, and Draco gave him a scanting glare,

"Yes, I do. Now shut up and listen." Both Harry and Remus nodded obediently and Draco tried to control the small smile that was threatening to spread on his face- shutting up Gryffindors would never lose its appeal… "I will try to convince the Wizengamot to let you go without Veritaserum, leaning heavily on your fame and reputation but I cannot promise anything. Look, it's going to be alright, I'll be there every step of the way." He tried to reassure Harry but he knew this would not be easy, not after the dealings Harry has had with the Ministry in the past. Frankly, Draco couldn't blame the man for his suspiciousness but he had to try and get Harry to cooperate somehow. Harry nodded and turned to Remus, giving him a pleading puppy-dog look,

"You'll be there too, right?" As much as Remus wished he could say yes and make that sad look go away from Harry's eyes he couldn't lie to the man,

"I can't, Cailean. Dark creatures are not allowed in official Wizengamot hearings." Harry's nostrils flared in anger and Draco felt the headache creeping between his eyes,

"That is complete rubbish, you're joking, right?" He turned to Draco, who gave him a pained look and shook his head,

"I'm afraid not." He said and hurried forward before Harry had time to launch into another tirade and would probably cost them valuable time, not to mention his mental health, "They've been too busy trying to fix the bigger issues and they simply haven't come round to deal with that," He tried to placate Harry though he knew it was a long shot, the man was very touchy and one-trek-mind when it came to his husband's dark creature status, more so in fact than Remus himself had ever been, "Tell you what, when this will be over I promise we'll file an official petition to change the law, but until then you need to focus your energy into getting full and legal custody over Aaron, because if you don't he's going to be sent to an orphanage and put through the system and there's not knowing where he'll end up. And I doubt even Carys would be able to help him then." He finished with a grave tone which he hoped would penetrate Harry's thick skull and bring him back to deal with the issues at hand.

"Fine," Harry grumbled, knowing he was being played into the the guilt trip and hating that Draco was so good at doing this to him, and that he was so easy to be played like that, "What do we do?"

"Like I said, you will be summoned to submit your memory into a pensieve in the presence of at least two members of the Wizengamot, and then the entire Wizengamot would review it. After that you will be summoned to appear in an official hearing before them, where you'll be questioned by me and the Toad's arguer, don't worry I will prep you for that. And then you'll go home and wait for news." Harry nodded, he didn't like the sound of any of it, but he knew he had little choice in the matter,

"How long will that take?" Remus asked, knowing all too well that official Ministry business could be dragged on for months and sometimes years at the time. Draco looked over some parchments on his desk and shrugged,

"There is quite a list of people they are summoning for hearing on this case so it might take a while…" Harry frowned,

"Who else are they summoning? I thought it was only about me having to explain why I obliviated Brian."

"They seem to have decided that they want to put the case to rest once and for all so they are going to be examining the case from all angles. They will be talking to Hermione and Carys and Severus amongst others." Harry was a little caught by surprise over this,

"Why them?"

"Well, Carys and Hermione will be there to give their official opinions as to Aaron's condition and their recommendations of you two as parents." Draco answered easily, and Remus nodded, that made sense,

"What about Severus?" He asked, after all the Potions Master didn't have an official role in the Ministry that would require him to give any sort of official statement in Aaron's case,

"He's going to be questioned about the alterations he made in the Wolfsbane potion. I think they're hoping he'd tell them it could be mass produced…"

"Could it be?" Harry asked hopefully, but Draco shook his head,

"I don't know, but I doubt it. Look, Harry, the current Ministry is very pro dark creatures, in large part thanks to your darling husband and even to you. But laws don't change in a day, and in most cases not even in a year and most of the people sitting in high places in the Ministry are quite fixated and set in their ways. It's going to take more than that to stir them in the right direction. Things _will_ change, I can promise you that. We have a couple of heavy guns in our corner like Arthur Weasley and Hermione, and even Headmistress McGonagall."

"And you." Remus added with a little smirk, noting that Draco's cheeks were tinting pink,

"Yeah, well…" The blond said somewhat uncomfortably. It surprised him, actually, as he was never one to shy from a compliment, but Draco decided that it must have been Harry rubbing in on him, "But like I said before, there will be time to fight for all of this _after_ we make sure Aaron is yours." Harry nodded solemnly; he would do whatever it takes to make sure Aaron doesn't get washed up in the Child Care system. That he was certain of.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N: **Ooh, I made some triple ginger cookies last week, for the first time and they came out yummy! And really big (I was too lazy to start and shape them all small and nice so they came out rather chucky- which was all for the better, believe me)


	25. Chapter 25

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Twenty-five**

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The following weeks had been some of the most frustrating in Harry and Remus' lives. First there had been the submitting of Harry's memories, which went rather well- and most importantly took almost no time at all, but then there was the waiting that was practically killing them both. And Draco was unable to help either of them, since he wasn't privy to the conclusions of the Wizengamot's review.

Finally, one bright Tuesday morning the summons came. An official looking bird, pompous with self-righteousness landed on the dining table of "Rose Cottage". Hedwig gave the bird one look and Harry could have sworn she'd sneer if she could. He loved Hedwig... lately the bird had been starting to feel the effects of age catching up with her and Harry refused to use her in long trips anymore, much to Hedwig's dismay. He and Remus were both trying to decide what was the best way to acquire a new owl without triggering Hedwig's jealousy, and for the moment it looked like Aaron was about to get one for his birthday.

Remus was the first to reach for the missive and he read through it quickly, aware of both Harry's and Aaron's eyes on him. He then passed the parchment to Harry who took it without a word and read it, sighing deep. Tomorrow, at ten a.m. he was to report at the Ministry of Magic and present himself for questioning in the matter of obliviating Brian Hall.

"It's alright, Cailean, Aaron and I will stay here, and wait for news." Remus said with a forced bright tone. It was really stupid that he couldn't accompany his husband to what surely was one of the most important moments of their lives, but laws were laws and Draco was right, they were not going to change in a day. Harry nodded silently, feeling the weight of the situation pressing heavily on him. He didn't want to do any of this; he just wanted everyone to leave the three of them alone. Now more than ever he wished he hadn't succumbed to Brian's wish, things would have been much simpler had he only refused. But then again- simpler for whom? Certainly not poor Brian…

Harry rubbed his forehead, trying to rid himself of these thoughts that were swirling in his head for the last couple of weeks, driving him insane. This was nuts, what was done was done and now he had to face the consequences. He knew he did nothing wrong, but if the prepping Draco had done with him meant anything it was that not everyone thought that way. And tomorrow would be the time for him to stand up in front of the Wizengamot and defend his actions. He only prayed that they would accept his reasoning, because Brian didn't deserve to suffer but neither did Harry or Aaron.

That night Harry slept very poorly, and as consequence so did Remus. The morning of the hearing found both of them with dark circles under their eyes and a rather snappy moods. Harry was upset over the hearing, dreading what the Toad's arguer might ask- especially after Draco prepared him, and more than that he was nervous about facing the entire Wizengamot without his rock and support- Remus. But his family had to stay home and wait for the news because of stupid laws that were as unfair as they were discriminating.

Breakfast was tense, even Aaron feeling uneasy enough to decline his eggs. Harry tried his best to control his emotions, but it was hard, and to someone with sensitive senses as Aaron is was nearly overwhelming. Even though Remus had started teaching him techniques to control his heightened senses the boy was still feeling the depression rolling off his daddy and knew he was the cause of it.

Harry knew that all their friends were going to show up shortly, to keep Remus and Aaron company. He was really touched by the fact they decided they would refuse to come to the hearing as an act of solidarity with the werewolves who were unable to attend. It wasn't like this was going to cause any waves in the Ministry of course, as no one there would give a flying fuck if a bunch of mostly ex-Gryffindors decided not to come to a hearing they really had no place to come to in the first place but Harry and Remus were touched.

Around nine o'clock people started to show up. The first one to show was Seamus, who brought with him a couple of boxes full of goodies, his natural reaction to stress was to bake it away and he figured the end results would be much appreciated as they were waiting for news. Harry and he had decided to close the shop for the day, not only because Harry would be gone for most of it but mostly because they both knew neither could focus much on work that day, and they could not risk the reputation of the 'Sugardust' by presenting a work that was less than perfect by their standards.

Following Seamus, Hermione stepped out of the floo, looking grim and pale. Her own hearing had been the day before and she knew what Harry was about to face. While Draco had been fair and reassuring the opposing arguer was nothing short of a nightmare. Hermione felt the anger flaring again as she thought of the Toad's face splitting in a smug smirk as her arguer belittled everything Hermione said. It made her so angry in fact that as soon as she returned home to the Manor she went into one of the training rooms, and conjured hundreds of glass globes, all portraying the Toad's and her arguer's faces and spent the entire afternoon blowing them all up. It had been fun, especially when Draco returned and joined her, which soon turned into a feisty snowball-like fight and even feistier love making session after they'd turned all the broken glass on the floor into feathers.

Sirius was the next to show up, this time through the front door, as he lived close enough for 'Rose Cottage' to be within a walking distance. His arm was linked with Mairead's and the two looked quite happy despite the situation. The two have began dating each other a couple of weeks ago, and while Harry was quite pleased that Sirius was going out and making a normal life for himself he felt a little uneasy about this particular coupling. He couldn't even say why that was, because Mairead was just as nice, funny and easy going as her cousin Seamus. He didn't dare to share his feelings with anyone other than Remus, because he didn't want to insult Sirius or get on the wrong side of Seamus- nice and funny was good, but Gryffindor loyalty to your family could end up very bad on Harry's part…

The next to show was George Weasley. Harry was particularly grateful to see him. Out of all the Weasleys George was the only one who remained actively friendly towards Harry. While most of the other boys were quite indifferent to Harry's choice of life partner, Molly and Ginny had been rather vocal against it. Their list of reasoning went somewhat parallel to the ones Remus presented at the time, which Harry found rather ironic. But it was still a bit of a sore spot for him that his adoptive family had turned their backs on him. George, after moving in with his gorgeous Brazilian boyfriend- Fernando, or Nando, to his friends, found himself in a situation rather similar to Harry's and while he still retained a close relationship with his twin and most of his brothers it was still hard for him to show up at the Burrow and have his mother giving him pitying looks and trying in a very non-subtle way to coax him into dating girls.

The Snape family arrived then, Severus grumbling all the while about having to miss work for something as foolish as this, only to be shushed by his wife, who went for a bright Gryffindor red quaff for the day, telling Harry it was to represent the flame of rightness. Harry just nodded politely and smiled, while Remus objected that rightness should have been coloured blue. Cleo immediately went to seek Aaron, dragging him away from the adults to play in his room. She didn't understand what the commotion was about but she was always happy to see her friend. Harry and Remus approved of the fact that Aaron would be too busy playing and enjoying himself to get caught up in the tense atmosphere around.

Harry figured that as soon as his parents would show up the party would start for real. He just hoped that this time they'd leave their deranged friends behind. He was really starting to worry about them, but Remus said that Lily and James were young and with absolutely no responsibility on their hands anymore and that they will stay that way for good, so they should be left to their own devices. Besides, he doubted there was such a thing as ghost therapy anyway.

Glancing at the clock Harry realized he'd better get a move on or he'll be late. After all he still needed to check his wand at the Ministry entrance and probably fight off any number of fans that somehow got wind of his whereabouts. There was always a bunch of them around. Wringing his fingers together he tried to compose himself enough to actually take the floo powder from the pot and toss it into the grate. Remus wrapped his arms around his man and Harry leaned back into the embrace gratefully.

"You'll be just fine, Cailean. We'll be here when you get back." Harry nodded and turned around to give Remus a proper kiss, much to the vocal glee of most of the people present in the room. Remus pulled back and flipped the finger at the room while he guided Harry towards the fireplace.

"Give Aaron a kiss for me." Harry whispered as he indulged himself in one last kiss before stepping into the green flames.

Upon stepping out into the Ministry Atrium Harry was immediately reminded why he hated going there. Where once stood the golden fountain of the Magical Brethren, now stood an enormous golden statue of himself, his posture poised in battle stance and his wand sprouting green water into the pool below. Harry found it gaudy and completely inappropriate. He hated everything about it, down to the way the magical spotlights hidden in the walls around the fountain were designed to cast their lights in a way that bounced off his face to show their strength and his body to show its fitness. Harry knew from firsthand experience that he was _never_ that buff!

No matter how many owls he'd sent to the Ministry, and especially the new minister and her deputy ministry, the statue remained. Harry had a feeling the two were ignoring him, but since he really didn't feel like marching down there and causing a scene just to have that bloody thing removed he settled for politely ignoring the Ministry in return. Unless he couldn't help it, or course.

Shaking himself up Harry pulled himself to his full height and strode over to the wand checking point. Even with all the changes made in the Ministry of Magic ever since Amelia Bones took over the place by storm, one thing haven't changed and that was Eric Munch, sitting at the desk, still unshaven and still looking as if he'd stumbled into the place by mistake and was just watching over the desk while the real owner went to the loo.

Harry presented his wand, trying to curb the tingling feeling of unease that was spreading in his body. Why the hell did it take so long to measure his bloody wand? He felt his foot thumping impatiently on the floor and hoped this would at least be over before anyone noticed he was there.

"Mr. Potter?" Crap! No such luck. Harry ignored the voice he didn't recognize, knowing there was one of two things the man wanted from him, either an autograph or an interview, neither which he was in the mood to give right now. "How do you plea against the allegations that you've obliviated a muggle illegally?" Ah, the second type then.

Ever since the war Harry had been doing his best to avoid the public eye, both his home and the 'Sugardust' were under heavy warding, which made certain that no reporters or people with mal intent could get in. In fact, the situation has escalated so far that Harry was forced to take legal actions against Rita Skeeter after she tried to sneak into his shop in her animagus form and nearly caused the place to be shut down for health reasons. Rita Skeeter was now unable, physically, to approach Harry, Remus or any of their friends within ten feet range. But that didn't stop the blood thirsty reporter from trying and sending agents in her stead to record and abuse Harry's words and actions.

"Go away." Harry's head whipped around at the sound of the familiar drawl. Gods, he was so glad Draco was his arguer, as there was nothing the blond cherished more than flexing his verbal muscles at people who harassed Harry. "If my client isn't talking to your boss there's no way in hell he'd be talking to you. Come on Harry." He said, his tone a clear warning for Harry to keep his mouth shut. Draco knew Harry's inflammatory nature all too well and the last thing they needed right now was a scuffle in the middle of the Ministry Atrium, right before Harry's hearing no less. Harry took a deep breath and lowered his head, doing his best not to look at anyone or anything, more than anything he just wished that the stupid hearing would be over with and that he could go home and hold his family close,

"Mr. Potter, it really is in your best interest to talk to us, get your side of the story out…" The damn reporter was obviously one of the daftest people on the planet not to realize when the final word was spoken, or maybe he just had a death wish, coaxing Harry and Draco like that,

"Stop bugging my client," Draco hissed venomously at the man, "Or I'll have you arrested for harassment." The cold fire in the blond man's eyes was enough to cause the reporter to gulp and back away. After all, Draco Malfoy didn't get his reputation of being one of Britain most ruthless, intimidating, balls-crushing and case-winning arguer solely because of his surname.

Draco grabbed Harry's elbow, propelling the man through the crowd that was already gathering around to get a glimpse of the famous Boy-Who-Lived, shooting menacing glares at anyone who dared to even think of coming too close. Harry was eternally grateful for that. If it'd been up to him he most likely would have hexed half of them, and punched the rest. He was quite rubbish at dealing with the adoring masses.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** You do all remember that Rita Skeeter's amimagus form is a beetle, right?

I kinda thought this was a nice way to let you know what everyone is doing (more or less) and remind you who's on Harry's corner.

I personally think the flame of rightness should be composed of all the colours of the rainbow, but I'm not going to argue with either Remus or Tonks…

I wanted the new Ministry fountain to represent most of the war heroes like Dumbledore and such with Harry being the biggest and most prominent fixture- kinda like the Brethren was, you know making the wizard and witch far more important than anyone else but when I started to write the description of it, it just went on and on and on and there was just no point for it… but I really like the green water bit- you know, for the killing curse…

I also think that Amelia and Arthur are having too much fun reading Harry's owls in the matter of the fountain to actually give in to his wish and have him stop writing them.

Ok, any of you who still remember 'Jaded' know that Ginny wasn't as bad there as she's turning in here. My excuse for that is that it's been a while and I've read a few more stories between then and now and frankly, I don't really like Ginny at all… So I'll just say that she's been terribly easy to influence and her mother had been drilling into her head that she should have been the one with Harry. Ginny's going to get a lot worse in the upcoming chapters, I hope you don't mind.


	26. Chapter 26

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**A/N: To RRW, you know what, I think that the Toad might actually be related to Umbridge, only she didn't get the kitten loving pink gene in her (thanks for small mercies…). I thought about letting Umbridge in on the fun at some point, but I see the Toad is doing a fine job on her own.**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Twenty-six**

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"Do you need a calming draught?" Harry thought it was very sweet of Draco to offer, especially since he _was_ having a little trouble controlling his magic while they waited for the Wizengamot to assemble, and as a result the magical candle-light chandeliers in the court hall were swinging madly above their heads,

"Won't that react badly with the Veritaserum?" Draco shrugged,

"Probably, but I rather _you_ suffer nasty purple rash all over your body and constipation for a fortnight than _me_ being scarred for life by burning hot wax!" Harry let out a small chuckle and took a deep breath, making a huge conscious effort to rein in his magic. Once the chandeliers stopped their mad swinging, he gave Draco a small guilty smile and turned to look around him.

The room was filling up quite quickly and that only made Harry feel more uneasy. The members of the Wizengamot were making their way to their chairs, clad in the severe plum-coloured robes that signaled their position, as well as several other people that Harry had no idea what their propose in this hearing was. He was mightily glad that no members of the press were allowed in the court hall, it was bad enough that the stupid Toad decided to take the whole thing to the press and have Rita Skeeter spin the whole tale out of proportions as per her usual talent.

Both he and Draco watched the Toad strutting into the room, her buxom bosom leading the way proudly as if she was already certain she'd won. Harry found the sight revolting. He studied her arguer, trying to decide what the best way to face the man was, but he seemed just as obnoxious and pompous as his employer that Harry figured he was done in for anyway.

As soon as the room was full the Chief Warlock, Amos Diggory, called for silence. Harry's whole body slumped as he saw the man. Apparently Draco had _conveniently_ forgotten to mention who the new Chief Warlock was and Harry felt the pit of his stomach dropping further down. There was little chance he'd win the case now, Harry thought miserably, especially when Mr. Diggory was holding the helm, Mr. Diggory who probably still blamed Harry for the death of his only son. Who probably hated Harry long before Cedric's death just for being chosen as a Hogwarts champion and stealing most of Cedric's limelight. He gave Draco a desperate look but the other man just shook his head and gave him a small smile.

"Members of the Wizengamot, we are gathered here today to hear witness number 13 in the case of one Aaron Finn." Harry hoped that being number 13 wasn't a sign of bad luck for him. "I call to the stand Mr. Harry Lupin." Harry was almost startled at Mr. Diggory's announcement, but he stood up, brushing his official looking robes (which he absolutely abhorred wearing) and made his way to the chair in the front of the room. Memories of the summer before his fifth year and the hearing he underwent then pushed to the forefront of Harry's mind and he did his best to dispel them, not wanting the horrific past experience to affect the results of today's hearing. He was doing this for Aaron, he reminded himself, and he'd do everything it took for the boy.

A Ministry official approached him once he sat on the chair, which thankfully didn't shackle him as soon as he did, carrying a tray in her hands. On it sat a goblet of pumpkin juice and a vial of Veritaserum. She cleared her throat meaningfully as she placed the tray on a small table near Harry's chair.

"Will you willingly submit yourself to Veritaserum?" She asked in a tired voice, and Harry briefly wondered what would happen if he said no, but with that thought quickly pushed away he cleared his own throat,

"I will." The witch nodded and took the vial, and Harry obediently stuck his tongue out. He hated having to do this in front of the entire court hall. He wished Draco could have at least push on Harry's name for taking the drug _before_ facing the Wizengamot but it seemed the entire room was all the more eager to see the mighty 'Boy-Who-Lived' go through every last bit of procedure.

After the woman poured the required three drops on his tongue she gave him the goblet of pumpkin juice with a small, motherly smile that had Harry suspecting she had grandchildren. He gave a small smile in return and she took the tray and scuttled away. Harry was glad she left him with the goblet of pumpkin juice, as it gave his hands something to do rather than fidget and show his nervousness to the crowd. Mr. Diggory stood up then, fussing with his plum robes for a moment as if trying to compose himself lest he lashed at Harry for reasons that were not case related- at least that what it felt like to Harry.

"Please state your name for the Wizengamot." Harry took a deep breath,

"Harry James Lupin." He said in a level voice, feeling the pull of the potion. It wasn't like the last time he took Veritaserum, this time there was no vacant feeling in his head that gave him an out-of-body experience, hearing his voice telling things he hadn't permitted it to. It felt strange, like there was some force inside his head, a bit like during his occlumency lessons with Snape, but this time he was the one in control.

He looked straight ahead of him, noting that some of the members of the Wizengamot looked… disappointed at his name. But that had been precisely the reason he had decided to take Remus' name rather than hyphenating both their names as Remus suggested. He didn't want to have anything to do with the trademark that was "Harry Potter", eight years of it were quite enough.

"What is your date of birth?"

"31 of July, 1980." Harry answered monotonously, knowing this was a standard procedure to make sure the Veritaserum was working. Harry thought it rather silly, but he really wasn't in a position to object right just now.

"What house were you sorted into in Hogwarts?"

"Gryffindor." Harry almost rolled his eyes but refrained. He didn't want to vex Mr. Diggory of all people. The Chief Warlock nodded his head once,

"Very well. The witness is yours." He gestured to Draco and sat back down, arranging his robes around him comfortably. Harry knew Draco was given the first go at him because he was summoned by his side, and he was glad. At least this way he was able to give as much of his account of things before the Toad's arguer got to negate and dispel everything he said.

Draco rose to his feet, his silver robes flaring around his slim form perfectly. Harry knew he was using a charm for that, one similar to the one Snape used to cause his robes to billow so impressively during their years in Hogwarts. The vanity of Slytherins… Harry had to bite back a small smile. He cleared his throat dramatically and fixed Harry with his most professional glare.

"Mr. Lupin, would you please explain to us, in your own words, what was it that brought you to this stage?" Harry took a deep breath and frowned,

"Erm, where should I begin?" He asked, somewhat timidly, hoping he didn't have to go back too far- after all, he wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Start with the first time Mrs. Bradford-Meys made a house-call at your home."

"She scheduled the visit for the day before the full moon," Harry began, his voice quiet and calculated. He was quite grateful for the potion that enabled him to sift through his memories and choose the facts that were most helpful to his case. "I sent Aaron and Remus away because they were not feeling well because of it."

"What did she have to say to that?" Draco asked, trying to get Harry to elaborate. The last thing he needed right now was for Harry to shut himself off and give monosyllable answers. They needed to get the story out, as much of it as they could.

"She said this might jeopardize my chances of getting custody over Aaron, because I was going against Ministry rules. She wasn't very sympathetic to Aaron's condition and even said that he would not be able to attend Hogwarts because he was a werewolf. I told her that Remus and I were the best solution for Aaron's situation but she said that was not up to me to decide." Harry decided to refrain from mentioning that he had threatened to hex the woman should she call him Mr. Potter again or her condescending tone. He didn't want to stoop to her level.

"What happened then?" Draco pressed and Harry sighed,

"She scheduled another meeting and this time both Aaron and Remus were present," Harry began explaining when the Toad's arguer rose from his seat,

"Who is Remus, and what is his relevance to this case?" He asked in an oily voice that had Harry fighting a revolted shiver,

"Remus is my husband." He answered promptly and started talking again before the man had something bad to say about this and annoy Harry further, "She asked how the full moon went and when I told her I gave Aaron some Wolfsbane potion that Severus Snape himself supplied and approved of she accused him of being a death eater. When Remus tried to object she further accused him of being the one who bit Aaron."

"And what proof have you that he didn't?" Mr. Gorman, the Toad's arguer interrupted again. Harry's jaw dropped in shock; he couldn't believe the man had just said that!

"The Aurors that arrived at the scene of the biting and transported Aaron to the hospital confirmed that the werewolf who bit Aaron was in fact Fenrir Greyback." Draco intervened before Harry could react. He knew that Mr. Gorman would do everything within his powers to upset and undermine Harry's creditability, as was his job, but Draco's job was to make sure Harry won't fall into any of the man's traps. Well, not fall into too many of the man's traps- this was after all Harry Lupin he was defending…

"She wasn't going to write a favorable report on us no matter what we did," Harry said somberly, "She said she'd rather see Aaron making a living on the street than to give him to us." A collective gasp was heard from the audience and Harry was rather pleased to see the Toad's rage flaring, though it only showed in the tightening of her lips and the flaring of his nostrils for the moment. As she was not an official part of the hearing she couldn't say a word, for which Harry was glad.

"What else did she say?" Draco tried to break the battle of wills between Harry and the woman in the first row and snap Harry back to the issue at hand,

"She wanted to take Aaron right away but we wouldn't let her. She then left and came back with Aurors, but we had D-Mr. Malfoy there to persuade her not to take Aaron with her. When she returned with Aurors to arrest Remus and take Aaron Mr. Malfoy brought to light the fact that Mrs. Bradford-Meys is a member of the BWPS." Harry said in a soft voice that he knew would carry over the hall. It was something he discovered during his time fighting Voldemort, that sometimes quiet words and soft speech left a much more profound impact than shouts. The members of the Wizengamot looked appropriately appalled by that and for the first time Harry felt the scales were tipping in his favour in this case.

"My client's views have nothing to do with this case." Mr. Gorman interjected again. Harry was about to answer when he caught Draco's barely there head-shake. He would just have to trust his friend to fix things for him,

"I have solid ground to believe that Mrs. Bradford-Meys' actions were indeed dictated by her views. Severus Snape is a very respectable member of society; he's been a member of the PMA for almost thirty years and has received an order of Merlin first class for his actions during the war. If your client's views had nothing to do with matter, she would not be accusing him of trying to harm a child. Furthermore, Remus Lupin, the witness' husband is also a highly decorated war hero…"

"He's also a werewolf! Who was unregistered for many years, and the Ministry has no way of knowing what he was up to during all that time!" Mr. Gorman snapped, but Draco only smiled sweetly at him,

"No, they don't. All we have is _his_ account of things, and I for one am more prone to believe his word over that of your client." Harry raised the goblet to his face, pretending to drink to hide his smile. If he could he'd jump from his seat and do a little victory dance right there on the dais in front of the entire Wizengamot. Before Mr. Gorman had a chance to respond to Draco Mr. Diggory raised his hand, signaling for the parties to be quiet,

"That is quite enough, gentlemen. This is hardly contributing to the case." Harry had a feeling Mr. Diggory wanted to get out of there just as much as he did, and frankly he couldn't blame the man. "Now, Mr. Lupin, I believe you have requested another social worker after this _incident_, am I correct?" Harry nodded,

"Yes, we asked for Carys Thudford. She is working in an orphanage in Cardiff where they sent Aaron at first and he really liked her." Mr. Diggory nodded,

"And what did Miss Thudford had to say?" He asked as if the actual woman hadn't been in that same chair only two days ago,

"She thought we were interacting very well and that she saw no reason why our application will be denied." Harry replied, feeling more at ease by the fact that Mr. Diggory was doing his best to be neutral and stick to the case at hand.

"Then how come you went over to visit Aaron's birth parents?" Harry took a deep breath, now they were getting to the crux of matters. This was the money-time stage of the game.

"About a week before the final signing of the papers I received a Ministry official letter saying that Aaron's birth parents came forward and want him back. The letter also said we had to bring Aaron over to the Ministry as soon as possible."

"And why didn't you produce the boy?" Mr. Gorman asked and Harry folded his arms across his chest,

"I consulted my arguer and several others, and we decided we'd look into it first. Aaron's parents severed all ties to him, there was no reason they'd ask for the boy back unless… provoked." He let his eyes fall meaningfully on the Toad, knowing the whole court could see where he was looking. She gave him a haughty look, her upper lip curled in disgust.

"Who gave you their names, and addresses?" Mr. Gorman persisted,

"A friend." Harry replied, hoping Draco would jump in and stop him from having to expose Carys' involvement, as he still wasn't sure how this would affect the woman's job and reputation.

"What happened when you went to visit Aaron's parents?" Draco cut in before Mr. Gorman could say another word and Harry cleared his throat again, despite having the goblet of pumpkin juice he found his throat constantly dry and wondered briefly if it was because of the potion he was forced to take or his own natural nervousness.

"His mother wasn't in the least bit interested in what came of the boy. His parents were never married, and apparently never in a serious relationship." He started, hating how bad it sounded, but knowing the Wizengamot had already seen his memories of Denise Fountain and Brian Hall so it really didn't matter what he said right now, "Then I went over to his father's home. Mr. Hall was very kind, and he loves Aaron very much."

"So you went over to his house to persuade the man to give his son to you?" Mr. Gorman insisted, "After he had already seen the error of his ways and was willing to take the child back?"

"No!" Harry cried, "I went there to find out what happened, why he changed his mind?"

"Were you trying to bully him into giving his son to you because you are the 'Boy-Who-Lived'?" Mr. Gorman apparently decided to charge headlong into the situation, mainly because he knew Harry had already submitted his memories, but maybe a full frontal attack will undermine the man enough to make him slip.

"What? No! I would never do that!" Harry cried, leaning forward in his chair, feeling agitated and angry. Why wasn't anyone stopping that horrible man? "Brian Hall was threatened, by your client!" He cried. Mr. Gorman gave him a pitying look,

"You honestly expect me to believe, Mr. Potter, that a distinguished member of the Office of Child Care would stoop as low as to threaten people into taking back what's rightfully theirs to begin with?"

"She told Brian Hall that if he didn't take Aaron back he'd be thrown in Azkaban! He told me that himself!" Harry all but yelled, the blood was boiling in his veins, not only for Aaron's sake, but Brian's as well,

"Brian Hall told you that?" Mr. Gorman spread his hands, turning to the Wizengamot with an oily smile, "I would have loved to hear that from the man himself but you know what? We can't, because _you_ obliviated him!" He turned to fix Harry with a scorching gaze, full of resentment and revulsion towards Harry. Harry's jaw dropped, he gave Draco a desperate glance, why wasn't he defending him?

"Mr. Gorman, I ask you to calm down, this is highly inappropriate." Harry wanted to laugh at the irony of having being rescued by Mr. Diggory of all people. Mr. Gorman gathered his robes around him, trying to recompose himself before he sent another obsequious smile at the Chief Warlock,

"I apologize for that your honour, now, Mr. Potter,"

"Lupin." Harry gritted through his teeth, he knew what he bastard was doing, he had probably gotten that little tip from his client, who knew how much using this name angered the young man. "My name is Harry Lupin, not Potter."

"Of course." Mr. Gorman's oily tone only got smarmier at Harry's words, "Tell me, Mr. _Lupin_, why did you feel the need to obliviate Mr. Hall _after_ you already managed to _persuade_ him to give up his only son to you?" He asked, emphasizing the word 'persuading' to make it sound like Harry had been using methods that were less than pure in the process of getting Brian to sign the retract document.

"He asked me to."

"Do you honestly expect us to believe that someone who claimed to have their child's best interests at heart would give them up in the first place, _of their own free will_? But let's assume that Brian Hall did just that, I find it quite hard to grasp why he'd want to rid of all the memories he had of said child. Unless of course, _you_ had been manipulating Brian Hall into giving you his child all along." Harry couldn't believe his ears; next thing the insufferable man was going to accuse him of sending Fenrir Greyback to bite the boy in the first place! This was ridiculous!

"I didn't force Brian to do anything!" Harry cried, feeling the panic raising in him, why wasn't Draco saying anything?! "He was only trying to seek better life for his son because he couldn't take care of him by himself. He asked me to obliviate him because remembering Aaron was too painful!"

"How would a muggle even know what obliviating is?" Mr. Gorman wondered aloud, again giving out the feeling that Harry was engaged in foul play on this matter as well,

"He's not a muggle, he's a squib." Harry said quietly, feeling the fighting spirit draining from him, and boy was he going to be chewing Draco over that later!

"Same difference." Mr. Gorman waved his hand and Draco had to bit the inside of his cheek to stop the smug smile spreading on his face when he heard the gasping behind him. He had been dealing with this case long enough to know that Mr. Gorman didn't need anyone's input to make a complete ass of himself. He was actually counting on it.

"Mr. Gorman!" The Chief Warlock rose to his feet, his face nearly matching the colour of his robe in his rage, "If you do not learn to control your tongue you _will_ be removed from this hall!" Mr. Gorman looked quite shocked at this, his momentum broken; leaving him a bit perplexed as to what he had said now, "Mr. Lupin, I believe we have everything we need, you may step down." Harry scrambled hurriedly to do just that, making his way back to Draco's side before Mr. Diggory could change his mind. He wasn't sure if Mr. Gorman's last statement had worked for his benefit or not, but Draco gave him a small wink that had Harry breath a small sigh of relief.

"The members of the Wizengamot will now reassemble to give final verdict in this case." Mr. Diggory called as he rose from his seat and started leading his members through the door at the upper side of the hall. As soon as the door closed behind the last plum-clad back, Draco took hold of Harry's elbow and started herding him towards the exit, before the Toad could reach them- because if the look on her pinched face meant anything it was that she was more than ready to cause all sorts of problems now that the figures of authority had left the room. Sparring with her was not a very wise idea at the moment.

As soon as they stepped out the press members that were waiting impatiently outside assaulted them, each of them eager to get an exclusive with the war hero. The irony of the situation was that Harry's evasiveness and resentment towards the press only spurred them on and made Harry's popularity grow as no one knew for real what was true when it came to him. With the help of the Aurors that were stationed outside the court hall to keep the order Draco managed to get Harry to the row of fireplaces at the Atrium, relatively unscathed.

"Go home and wait for news, I'll be there as soon as I have something. By the way, the Veritaserum will take another twenty minutes or so to wear off so pay attention to what you're saying."

"I thought the thing was suppose to last only twenty minutes to begin with." Harry objected and Draco rolled his eyes,

"Told you, new and improved version. Now go home, kiss Aaron for me and try not to blow the whole house with anxiety!" He whispered urgently to Harry who nodded and didn't waste a moment more to get the hell out of there.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N: **After Amelia Bones was made Minister of Magic they needed a new Chief Warlock, and I decided to give to honour to Mr. Diggory. I went over the list of Ministry employees in and his name was there and I thought it was be funny to have him as Chief Warlock and give Harry a little heart attack along the way. I can be a meanie, I know.

The first visit the Toad made to Harry and Remus' house is in chapter 8. The second is in chapter 12, in case you're interested.

Isn't it fun that everything can be so easily explained by 'new and improved version'?


	27. Chapter 27

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**A/N: As it is Passover, and I'm going home, where I will have lots of family and no time or will to write, I leave you with another chapter, hopefully to followed sometimes next week but I don't make any promises, this is a really crazy time at work and all. **

**Happy Passover and Happy Easter to you all. **

**This chapter is un-beta'd.**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Twenty-seven**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry stepped out of the grate and stumbled gracelessly right into the arms of his godfather. Sirius gave him a grin and ruffled his hair a bit before he pulled his distraught godson into a bear hug.

"So, how did it go?" He asked as he let go of Harry who immediately found himself in the arms of his husband,

"I… I'm not sure…" Harry confessed slowly, trying to piece together what had happened in the past hour, "Did any of you know that Amos Diggory is the Chief Warlock?" He asked the room in general. Everyone smiled uneasily and looked everywhere but at Harry,

"Of course we did love; it was all over the papers." Lily finally said, knowing that Harry was very much against everything that was magical press, but come on…

"And _nobody_ thought of telling me this _before_ I went in there?" Harry was completely gob smacked at that, these people were his family and friends, or so he believed!

"What difference would that make? You were just going to be extra testy and sensitive about the whole thing and I don't think that Remus would much appreciate having to deal with you if you knew." Lily said in a final tone that bore no argument. Harry opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, trying to come up with some sort of comeback for Lily's words, but he knew it was futile, no one was ever able to stand up to the woman, dead or alive.

"What happened? Did the Toad's arguer was really mean to you?" Seamus asked eagerly, after having heard about the hearings of Hermione and Severus he wanted to know what sort of blunder the man did with Harry.

"YES!" Harry cried, happy to regain his righteous footage once more, "And Draco!... He… He just sat there…" Hermione let out a small chuckle,

"And let the other man dig his own hole?" She asked and Harry nodded, wide-eyed. _That_ had been Draco's strategy? Gods, he hated being out of the loop when it came to his own life!

"What about you?" He asked Severus weakly, but the man gave out a dark snort,

"Do you honestly think I'd rely on a person whose nappies I helped changing? I am more than capable of standing my own ground against the likes of that _arguer_." He spat the last word as if it will contaminate him, and everyone in the room vowed they'd get Draco to submit his memories of Severus' hearing into a pensieve. It was just too good an opportunity to miss.

"So what now?" James asked, feeling a little irked at the blatant Snape-admiring that was washing over the room,

"Now we wait. Draco said he'll be here just as soon as news arrives." Harry shrugged. He hated waiting just as the next person, more than some even. The room sank into a sort of strained silence, each waiting for the other to come up with a brilliant idea to make the time go faster.

"I think we should have group sex." Everyone turned wide eyes at Tonks, who beamed back at the room, her hair now bright neon purple. "What? It's excellent for relieving stress, and it's fun."

"I'm game." Sirius drawled and was rewarded with a slap on the arm from his girlfriend. The entire room burst in laughter, albeit embarrassed amidst which Severus' dark scowling about 'impudent Blacks' could be clearly heard.

"We could have an impromptu game of Quidditch in the back yard." George suggested, somewhat more helpfully once the laughter died down. The room was split into those who cheered the idea with enthusiasm and those who groaned in despair at the mare thought.

"We only have two broomsticks and no balls." Remus said at last, and the enthusiastic cheers also turned into groans.

"We could play football." Fernando said in his musical Brazilian accent that had George's eyes glazing over a little. Harry, Seamus and Hermione nodded slowly but the others looked confused,

"What is football?" Tonks asked, always eager to learn new games. "Does it involve turning one's feet into balls?" Fernando chuckled,

"No, of course not. It's a muggle game, played with one ball and two nets. On the ground." He added helpfully before Remus could object because they didn't have enough brooms.

"Football is a great idea," Hermione interjected and the room turned stunned eyes at her, "What? I'll have you know I used to be the captain of my school team before I came to Hogwarts, I was damn good too."

Fernando beamed at her as he took out a tiny ball from his pocket and enlarged it to reveal it was bright yellow and green. Hermione, Harry and Seamus exchanged an amused look at the sight of that and Fernando gave them a bright smile. He was certainly not going to apologize for his team being the best in the world!

The entire party followed curiously, children included, as Fernando lead them out to the back yard. The teams were swiftly chosen; making sure that each contained at least one person who had some incline as to what the rules of the game were. Remus took upon himself to grab Aaron around the waist, casting a feather-light charm on the boy so that he could run around with him in his arms, the boy's shrieks of joy echoing around the yard.

After much persuasion Severus reluctantly agreed to referee the game and they were off. Since no one but Hermione and Fernando knew much in the line of rules it made for quite a spectacle. On regular intervals Sirius and George will stop and go argue with Severus, Sirius for the sheer delight of aggravating his old school rival and George, mostly for the love of argument. Each time that happened Hermione would threaten the two of them with thorough hexing if they did not stop being childish and start playing already!

When Draco stepped out of the grate in 'Rose Cottage' living room he was rather surprised to find the room empty. Following the noise of screaming and laughter he walked to the back yard only to find his friends in what looked like a very messy version of Hippogriff tag. Everyone was running in different directions, all trying to reach a ball that was bouncing on the ground uselessly while Severus stood outside the commotion and whistled loudly, trying to gain the players' attention.

Harry was the first to spot the confused looking Draco. He stopped dead on his tracks, breathing hard. He was about to cry out for Draco when the ball hit him on the side of the head. Harry glared at the offender only to receive a shy wave and embarrassed and meek smiles from Remus and Aaron. Ignoring the both of them he jogged towards his friends, stopping in front of him and resting his hands over his knees, trying to regain breath, his bangs flopping messily into his eyes.

"What's the news?" He asked as soon as he could talk. The others were gathering around them now, match all but forgotten. Draco took a deep breath, bracing himself for what was to come,

"Harry, first of all, I think you should sit." Harry's eyes grew wide with fear and he traded a cautious look with Remus. Oh, gods, the bloody Wizengamot decided they can't keep Aaron… That bitch got her way and it was all because Amos Diggory was still blaming Harry for Cedric's death! Slumping down on the deck he buried his face in his hands, trying to control his breathing. It would not do to fall apart in front of Aaron, not right before they were about to lose him. He felt someone sit next to him, and knew without even looking up that it was his husband. Leaning against Remus for support and pulling Aaron half into his lap so that the boy was cuddled protectively by both of them he swallowed hard and turned to face Draco.

"I never meant for things to end this way." He said gravely. Draco bit his lip, trying not to laugh outright at Harry's expression. Whoever said that Gryffindors were the optimistic ones?

"Well, in that case you'll be pleased to know that things are not really ending," Draco said with a smile. Harry's eyes grew wide as saucers and his jaw dropped. With a mighty leap he pounced at Draco, tackling the blond to the ground and shaking his shoulders fiercely. Draco groaned with pain as his back hit the wooden deck with force, "That's exactly why I asked you to sit down…"

"What did they say?!" Harry demanded, not in the least caring for his friend well being right now. He released Draco's shoulders and sat up, allowing the other man some movement but still keeping him trapped between his knees.

"The Wizengamot was deeply moved by your devotion to Aaron and decided that you and Remus may keep the boy, here," He said, pulling a piece of parchment from his pocket, sending Harry flying to the side in the process, "You've been officially declared Aaron's parents by the Chief Warlock himself." Harry's eyes hungrily roamed over the parchment, reading and absorbing each word before he turned to Remus, handing over the parchment and grabbing Aaron in a rib-crushing hug. Remus let out a small relieved sob as he read the paper and immediately joined Harry in the family hug.

Harry simply couldn't believe it, not only did the Wizengamot yielded to his plea, but none other than Amos Diggory himself had saved them an inordinate amount of bureaucracy that could last anything from a week to several years. Aaron was theirs, truly and fully and legally! Who said Hufflepuffs were notorious for holding grudges?

Before either of the three Lupins had time to catch their breath, Sirius joined the group hug, followed quickly by the rest of them, all forming a huge human pile of laughing, congratulating and happy people. Draco watched them with a smile. He didn't join the pile, electing the drag himself a little further from the commotion. It had been a long, strenuous day for him, and the last thing he needed right now was squashed limbs on top of it all. A pair of warm arms wrapped around his neck, and Draco leaned back into Hermione's arms,

"I'm so proud of you love," She whispered in his ear, and Draco smiled again, "So proud."

"I just let that jerk dig his own grave…" He said dismissively though Hermione could tell there will be much preening for days to come. She was already starting to form a strategy to deflate Draco's head and bring him back to the ground, knowing Draco could very well keep on going for weeks and months if not stopped.

"So, what happened to the Toad, I can't imagine she was too happy with the outcome of the Wizengamot's decision?" Draco snorted at that,

"Oh, no she wasn't… especially when they kicked her out of the OCC. No child has to ever fear the Toad again." Hermione sniggered and wrapped her hands tighter around her boyfriend. Draco basked in the embrace for a long moment, still watching the others, as they started dancing around the yard, yelling obscenities of the Toad and laughing their heads off. "I just wish Harry and Remus will not kill me when they find out that the Toad had managed one last thing before she got booted out."

"What is it?" Hermione asked with trepidation, wondering what sort of horror did the vile woman managed just when they thought they were finally getting rid of her evilness for good,

"She released an official memo that prohibits any school from accepting Aaron as a student." Hermione's jaw dropped in shock, but Draco was quick to kiss it away, "Don't worry, I already spoke to Headmistress McGonagall and she said that Aaron is most welcome in Hogwarts. I think she just wanted to piss the Toad off…"

"Well, until he gets to Hogwarts I suppose we could work something between all the people here, in regards of his education." Hermione said levelly, and Draco just _knew_ she couldn't wait to get her hands on the boy and distill some of her wisdom in him. He just hoped Harry would be able to keep Aaron from her 'bookworm' clutches long enough so that the boy wouldn't come out _completely_ traumatized.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." He said absently, deciding to leave the family be for the moment. He'd deal with Harry some other day. After all, the man deserved at least a couple of days to be just happy.

"Come on, tiger, let's get you home and erase the trauma of having Harry glomping you." A wide grin spread over Draco's face as he scrambled to his feet and started pulling the laughing Hermione behind him, eager to reach the floo.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** I just want to make it very clear that I am a huge **France **supporter, but I can still, begrudgingly, admit that Brazil is one of the best teams in the world. I really love football (that's soccer to all you Americans…~_^).

Glomping is tackling one down to the ground and hug them to near death. It's a real word! It's mainly used to describe characters in Anime.


	28. Chapter 28

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**A/N: Goodness, it has been a while, hasn't it? All I can say is, besides sorry of course, is that real life were catching up with me and job issues got in the way (as in losing it and having to find another, which I did, thank you for caring). Anyway, I really hope now that things are settling down a little I'll be able to write more. **

**So thank you for still being here. This really means a lot to me. **

**This chapter is unbeta'd.**

**Sex scene ahead! I know you think I forgot that this is the true reason you're reading this… ;-) so here. Have fun. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Twenty-eight**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry woke up slowly. Mentally reaching for his surroundings to make sure all was well. It'd been three days since the Wizengamot's verdict and still they couldn't calm down from the euphoria. Harry smiled to himself and snuggled deeper into Remus' arms. They were daddies. The thought still brought a smile to his face every time it crossed his mind.

A low hum ruffled the hair on the back of Harry's neck and sent shivers down his spine. Waking up with Remus was the best way to start a day, especially when his husband was in _that_ kind of mood. Harry smiled as he pushed back against the hardness pressing at his bum.

"Hmm, cheeky little brat…" Came the husky voice from behind him, and Harry's smile widened, turning wicked,

"You want it don't you?" Remus sniggered, pressing harder against the body which was begging so prettily for his touch,

"I want everything you've got to offer." He muttered. With one smooth motion he flipped them both, causing Harry to squeak with surprise and throw his head back laughing. Remus knelt on the bed, pulling Harry's thighs over his legs and leaning forward. After a quick breath freshening charm he proceeded to devour his husband's eager mouth,

"Remus… Please…" Harry was pleading between kisses, unable to hurry the procedure up due to their position and he was growing frustrated quickly, having his cock rubbed thoroughly between the two of them and having Remus' cock teasing his arse so deliciously.

"You are so impatient, my beautiful husband," Remus growled, his mouth still mapping the contours of Harry's neck, while his hand reached for the bedside table's drawer.

"Stop… teasing…" Harry pleaded, angling his head better so that Remus had all the access he needed to all the places he wanted to reach.

"Just a se… second…" Remus grumbled when he realized he couldn't reach into the drawer and pull out the elusive lubricant. Leaving Harry's neck for a moment he leaned sideways to try and dig his hand deeper. Harry watched the way Remus' eyebrows scrunched together in the effort of searching and rolled his eyes. Lifting his hand he called out in a bored tone,

"Accio lube." Seconds later the tube came zooming from the depth of the drawer only to hit Remus square on the side of his face.

"Oi, watch it!" He cried as he rubbed his temple, a small pout on his lips, "Smartypants."

"Call yourself a professor then?" Harry grabbed the fallen tube and waved it triumphantly in front of his husband, with a toothy grin, only to be rewarded with a sharp smack on his bum. Harry's jaw dropped in shock but he was quick to retaliate with a twisting pinch of Remus' nipple. Soon the pair was rolling all over the bed, trying to gain the upper hand over each other. Shrieks of laughter filled the room, turning into deep guttural moans whenever one of them managed to hit a particularly sensitive spot on the other man's body.

About five minutes into their little tag-a-war Harry and Remus found themselves securely wrapped inside a cocoon of their own sheets, much to their annoyance as it was nearly impossible to move a limb within the strict confines of the cotton fabric.

"Harry, I really don't think that _this_ is where _that_ is supposed to go…" Remus said, his voice torn between amusement and pain, as he tried in vain to wriggle his body out of the covers,

"That's my elbow you tit!" Harry snarled and pinched his husband again as Remus managed to knee his sensitive area yet again. This was no use; if they carried on like that he was going to be a eunuch by the time they finally managed to get untangled. "Stop, stop, stop!" He cried, causing Remus to halt mid-movement. Harry took a deep breath and concentrated- within seconds the sheets flew up, rolling them both into opposite sides of the bed before settling on top of them again. Remus rolled onto his side and rose on his elbow, giving his husband an unimpressed look,

"You just can't resist showing off, can't you?" Harry grinned again, waving the discarded lubricant tube happily at Remus. With a growl Remus leaped, landing square on Harry's body, and quickly straddled the man. "Cheeky, cheeky brat, that's what you are." He murmured as he grabbed the tube from Harry's hand and flipped the man over to rest on his stomach, all in the same movement.

Harry tried to control his chuckling, which actually started to sound more like giggling, as he was rapidly losing breath, especially when his face hit the pillow. Without thinking Harry brought his knees higher, exposing himself more fully to his husband's searching fingers. In moments like these Harry wished Remus would have a little less self-control, because it seemed like his husband could spend _hours_ just preparing him, while Harry was reduced to a pile of quivering mush in mere minutes.

"Remus…" He cried impatiently, trying to twist around to face his spouse, but Remus kept him grounded in his spot. Apparently his pleading did its job though because the fingers were soon gone to be replaced with Remus' cockhead. Harry buried his head in the pillows and hummed, pleased with the way things were progressing. Remus started moving, slowly and fluidly, and Harry's hums soon turned into deep moans, while he rocked back to meet Remus' deep thrusts.

"Hmm, faster gorgeous, move faster…" He pleaded, his words slightly muffled by the pillow. But Remus kept the slow torturous pace. It wasn't that Harry didn't enjoy taking it slow sometimes but right now was definitely not one of those times! He clenched his buttocks tighter, trying to get Remus to move,

"Hey! I'm trying to be gentle and caring here," Remus complained with a small huff, clearly disappointed that his efforts of seductive, slow morning love making weren't appreciated by his insatiable husband.

"You can be gentle and caring by making dinner tonight, now _fuck me_!" Remus sighed, knowing that he lost that argument, though he didn't _terribly_ mind pounding his lover's sweet arse. "Oh, yesss," Harry hissed, raising his arse and clenching it around Remus' cock, "That's it!"

Remus rose to his knees, pulling Harry's arse with him so that the younger man ended up sprawled in a rather uncomfortable position but neither minded as Harry grabbed Remus' hand and squeezed it in time with the fast and deep thrusts. His voice was muffled by the pillow but that didn't stop Remus from being turned on by the sexy noises his husband was making. Harry always made the best noises during sex- they were just so… unchecked, uncontrolled and Merlin's beard so bloody arousing.

Harry shifted his weight to his left shoulder, turning slightly so that he could bring his right hand which was clasped with Remus' to his own cock, hoping that the other would get the message. Remus leaned over and bit Harry's shoulder, just to show the other man that this impetuousness would not do and started stroking his cock. Remus knew he couldn't last long, not with the way Harry was working him and he sped his movements on his husband's cock.

Harry's head was rolling from side to side, his face buried in the pillow and making his moans come out broken and uneven. His free hand grabbed a fistful of sheets as his world exploded in white light behind his lids. Feeling like a deflated balloon Harry slumped back onto the bed fully, suddenly feeling the effects of his less than comfortable position.

Remus leaned back on his haunches, his cock slipping from Harry's channel by their movement. He let his head fall back and took a couple of deep breaths to center himself again. It had been a while since he'd been woken up to such intense sex romp. Running a loving hand lazily down Harry's sweaty spine Remus smiled to himself. A good morning indeed.

Harry turned over onto his back, trying to hold back a moan of pain as his muscles protested any sort of movement on his part. He smiled up at Remus, loving the way his husband looked completely undone and knowing that it was him that put that expression on his face. Even after all their years together Harry still loved the fact that he could make Remus look this way. It made it easier to convince himself that Remus never ever looked so happy with anyone else.

Lolling his head back down Remus glanced at his husband through lidded eyes, before he slumped forward gracelessly and planted a sloppy kiss on Harry's lips.

"I'm heading for the shower." He whispered and rolled himself out of bed, stretching himself thoroughly before trekking towards their in-suite bathroom. Harry watched after him, unashamedly checking out his lover's physics, while he made no move to get up himself. Remus was always a bit fastidious when it came to cleaning up after sex- simple cleaning spells never seemed to cut it for him.

Stretching languidly himself Harry ran his hand over his belly and genitals, cleaning himself in the process. In times like these he was so glad that magic existed, especially wandless magic… After the bonding ceremony he and Remus had at his 18th birthday Harry discovered that his wandless abilities improved immensely. Remus and Hermione claimed it was because Harry was so strong a wizard to begin with. Although he didn't put his wandless skills to much public use, being uncomfortable with such blatant displays of power they did have their advantages…

Casting a quick scourgify over the bed Harry snuggled into the covers and listened to the shower, hoping Remus would finish quickly and come cuddle with him. It wasn't very often that Harry managed to score a morning off at the same time Remus did and he was hoping to make the most of it.

Suddenly a scuffing noise at the door caught his attention and Harry's heart stopped. How, how the hell could he have forgotten about silencing charms- _again_?! Pushing the panic down he hurriedly summoned a pair of boxers to him and managed to wriggle into them just as the door opened a crack. Harry watched as the mop of dark hair slowly pushed its way in, waiting until he saw Aaron's eyes watching him before he gave his son a bright, slightly forced smile and crooked his finger, beckoning the boy to him. Aaron pushed the door open and raced the length of the room to hop on his fathers' bed, tackling a laughing Harry backwards. Harry caught the boy easily and hugged him tight, smothering the giggling face with kisses.

"Good morning Cana. Did you sleep well?" He asked, refusing to even contemplate the fact that less than ten minutes ago he had a cock buried… No! Not thinking about that _at all_!

"You were making noises…" Aaron admitted sheepishly and Harry was sensitive enough to know that he had just encountered one of the many parenting traps that were going to litter his way from now on. Pushing down the humiliation he gave his son a warm smile, his mind racing frantically with ideas on how to face this particular snag.

"Did the noises scare you?" He asked tentatively, cursing Remus for not being there to support him. Remus was so much better at diplomacy than he was… The man could sweet talk a Banshee into being a charming Veela, surely he could explain the whole 'we just had wild sex and forgot to put up silencing charms- _again_!' debacle. Aaron shook his head, looking rather thoughtful,

"No, were they bad noises?" Harry shook his head, almost laughing at the boy's innocent inquiry,

"They were not bad noises, not at all. They were good noises, trust me." Aaron smiled at that, glad that his parents were not having any sort of troubles. He snuggled closer to Harry who was just glad to pet and cuddle the boy instead of answering embarrassing questions. A short moment later Remus finally emerged from the bathroom, a large fluffy light blue towel wrapped around his waist. He hummed softly to himself as he made his way to the big wardrobe. Aaron watched his father prancing around half naked and when Remus turned the boy gasped loudly.

Remus nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the childish gasp. With quick reflexes he managed to catch the towel before it slipped completely off of him and turned large, surprised eyes at his husband,

"Canagan, what are you doing here? How long…" He snapped, only catching himself when he saw Aaron pressing against Harry, "I'm sorry, I'll just put something on…" He muttered, feeling embarrassed about being frightened by and yelling at a three years old child.

"I don't think it's your state of half-nakedness that has him flustered," Harry said mildly, now more relaxed that there was someone else who was feeling more mortified than he did, "I think it's the painting on your back." Remus looked over his shoulder, as if he forgot what Harry was talking about and then smiled,

"Oh, you like my painting, do you?" He asked, coming over to the bed and sitting with his back to his family so that Aaron could have a full view of his tattoos. Aaron scooted closer, looking at the colorful images with awe. He'd never seen anything like it before.

"Do you recognize this one?" Harry asked softly as he too scooted over, raising to his knees and hugging Aaron's midriff with one hand as he used to the other to point the image of a black shaggy dog,

"Paddy!" The boy exclaimed happily and both Harry and Remus smiled,

"That's right; this is your uncle Sirius. And these are Pops James and Nana Lily," Harry said, pointing at the images of the stag and the hoopoe that represented his parents respectively. "Do you know who they are?" He asked as he pointed the images of the two wolves at the lower part of Remus' back. Aaron looked at the wolves for a long time, a little frown forming between his eyebrows, as if he he was seeing familiar faces in a whole new light. Finally he lifted his face to Harry and nodded. Harry kissed the soft inky hair and his eyes met Remus as they both turned to hug their son.

"You know your daddy has a painting just like this one on _his_ back." Remus whispered conspiratorially to Aaron and the boy's head snapped up. He rose on his toes, balancing himself on Harry's shoulder to look over it at his back. Harry tried to angle himself for a better look.

"Hey, you know what would be really cool? We could add Aaron to our painting!" Harry grinned, and Aaron's eyes opened wide, "Would you like that?"

"Yes!" The boy exclaimed happily, and Harry pushed at Remus' shoulder so that he'd present his back to them again, pointing at the small space between the two images of the wolves,

"Right there." Aaron nodded, and the two smiled at each other,

"Can I have a painting too?" Remus turned sharply towards them,

"Not for the next twenty years, _at least_!" He deadpanned, delivering his point with a raised finger and Aaron's face crumbled, his chin wobbling a little. Harry rolled his eyes and kissed the boy's head again, trying to sooth his son's disappointment. If it'd been up to him, even thirty years weren't going to be enough!

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**A/N: YAAAYAAYAAAY!!!! I can't believe I finished it!!!**

I really hoped you liked it and you have forgiven me for my tardiness. No real comments here, but you do remember the tattoo Harry and Remus got, right?

Lily and James come round in regular intervals, at least three times a week (Harry put his foot down on more, they tended to show up in strange hours…) to play with Aaron so he knows his grandparents all too well. He thinks they're really funny, Harry thinks they are corrupting his son. Remus is doing a Switzerland on that one.


	29. Chapter 29

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**This chapter is unbeta'd.**

**You'll be very pleased to know that I've outdone myself and got a couple of chapters ahead, which means more regular updates!! YAY… **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Twenty-nine**

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Adelaide Granger knew instantly that something was wrong in her house. Something, or more probable, someone was breaching the safety of her home and Adelaide was having none of that!

Stealing a glance at the man who was sleeping next to her, she nearly rolled her eyes- nothing; absolutely nothing could wake Freddie up. It was a well established joke in the Granger household and Adelaide decided it would be easier to deal with the intruder herself than trying to wake up her husband.

Slowly, she crept towards her bedroom door, opening it as slowly and as quietly as she could before she started tiptoeing towards the stairs. The noise came again- there was definitely someone in the kitchen, someone who was trying to be as quiet as possible and therefore made a complete ruckus. Adelaide didn't hesitate as she grabbed the cricket bat that was leaning against the wall. It belonged to her husband, who claimed he was still using it but Adelaide knew that the last time her husband was engaged in _any_ form of sport activity was roughly around the time Hermione was born. That was quite a while ago but the bat stayed, and not by Adelaide's choice!

Making her way slowly down the stairs, her back pressed against the wall and the bat held firmly in her hands Adelaide advanced towards the kitchen. Logically she knew she ought to ring the police and be done with it but from some reason she didn't feel all that threatened. It was probably one of the neighbor's kids causing mischief. Reaching the kitchen door Adelaide could hear the noises stop, and then foot shuffling coming towards the door. Without thinking about the consequences she raised the bat over her head poised to bring it down on the perpetrator's head as soon as they left the safety of the kitchen.

The kitchen door slowly opened and Adelaide gripped the bat's handle tighter. With a mighty bellow she launched forwards only to find herself seconds later dangling a few inches off the ground, still holding onto the bat which was suspended in mid-air. In front of her stood her only daughter, her eyes wide and wand pointing at her and a cup of hot chocolate smashed to bits at her feet.

"Mum? Were you going to club me with that?" Hermione asked incredulously as soon as she could hear anything above the pounding of her heart. Adelaide's grip on the bat was weakening and she dropped to the floor with a 'humph'. Straightening herself up, Adelaide Granger smoothed her nightgown and lifted her chin,

"Hermione? What are you doing here in such an ungodly hour?" She asked, and Hermione sighed, waving her wand to send the bat upstairs and getting rid of the mess on the floor.

"Moving back in…" She said in a small voice, and Adelaide immediately grabbed her elbow and marched her daughter back into the kitchen, sitting her at the table and going for the kettle. Hermione sat at the table, playing with the salt shaker while her mother made a cup of tea for them. She hadn't meant to wake her mother, but it seemed that after years of not living at home she had forgotten how much of a light sleeper her mother was. Placing two mugs on the table Adelaide took her seat and looked at her daughter.

"What is it, sweetie? Did you and Draco have a fight?" Although not entirely happy at first that her daughter was seeing a man she hated with passion all her youth Adelaide had grown to accept Draco over the years. Especially after she met the man in person, and seen the way he was looking at her child.

"Not exactly…" Hermione started, feeling uneasy, she was never much in the habit of discussing her private life, especially not with her mother, "He… um, asked me to marry him…"

"The nerve of that man!" Hermione sighed, it was just like her mother to come up with some lame crack to try and ease the mood,

"Mum, that's not funny!" She cried, and Adelaide shrugged,

"What do you want me to say? You sneak in here in the dead of night like some sort of thief and then you tell me you left your boyfriend because he wants to _marry _you? Most girls would kill to have a bloke like Draco ask them to marry him."

"They can have him for all I care!" Hermione snapped, and immediately sighed, "No, no they can't. He's mine." She stuck the heels of her palms in her eyes, rubbing them in frustration. Adelaide watched her daughter with a sad expression; the poor girl was obviously agonizing and as her mother is was up to Adelaide to comfort her.

"Why did you leave?" Hermione stared at her tea for a long time, trying to decide what to tell her mother, because she couldn't even tell herself why she panicked so much about the idea of being married. At long last she sighed, still refusing to look at her mother,

"I couldn't go through with it. I can't be married now, it's too soon…" Adelaide studied her daughter, worrying her lip and trying to come up with the proper words to ease her daughter's pain. "I mean, you weren't married when you were my age, right? Because you were too young…" Adelaide felt her lips stretching out in a smile as memories assaulted her, and then she caught Hermione's eyes and frowned,

"Well… it wasn't so much that I was too young…" She started explaining somewhat uneasily,

"You want to tell me that dad asked you to marry him and you said no?" Hermione was a little shocked at hearing that, she had always assumed her parents were married within a year of their meeting. But if at the age of 25 her mother was still unmarried that meant her parents have been together for a whole lot longer than she imagined.

"Who said I was with your father at the time?" Adelaide asked in deadpan voice and Hermione's eyes bugged out.

"What? You had another boyfriend?" She cried, and Adelaide did her best not to roll her eyes, so much for having the 'birds and bees' talk with your child… Gods, she had never imagined her own daughter being such a prude…

"You hardly expect me to stay single and wait for your father to finally come and sweep me off my feet…" Adelaide chuckled. Hermione shrugged,

"Well…" She said with a poorly concealed smile and Adelaide rolled her eyes,

"Cheeky girl…" She muttered, "I'll have you know that I was dating the most charming man back when I was your age, oh, he most definitely was something else…" Hermione watched through the mist of tea steam as her mother became all misty eyed and nostalgic. It was a strange expression on Adelaide Granger, but Hermione liked seeing her mother like that, it made her look younger somehow.

"What was his name?"

"Gus. He looked like that Scottish actor I like, what's his name?"

"Sean Connery?" Adelaide gave her daughter one of her 'looks',

"No. The young one!" She practically snapped,

"Ewan McGregor?" Adelaide sighed; this is what happens when you and your daughter never sit down to watch a movie together…

"No! Gerard Butler! He looked like Gerard Butler!" Hermione smiled, of course she knew who her mother liked, it was a bit hard to miss her mother's wistful sigh every time Gerard Butler's face turned up on the screen.

"Were the two of you together a long time?"

"About a year, on and off. He wasn't a very stable guy, but I kept falling for his shit over and over again…"

"Because you were in love with him?" Adelaide sighed again, those were the times, when she was free to have her heart broken on a pretty much weekly basis, and young and naïve enough to go back to her tormentor every time. A part of her was glad that Hermione had picked up Freddie's more hands-on approach to life- those two would never let anyone step on them!

"I think it was mostly because he was great in bed…" She said with a leering smile and a small wink and Hermione nearly choked on her mouthful of tea,

"Ew, mum!" She cried, and Adelaide laughed, it was so easy to tease that girl it was almost not worth the effort.

"Oh, shush." She said dismissively before turning serious again, "Gus was different from any guy I've ever met before. He was charming, mysterious, and quite romantic. For a young girl fresh out of dentistry school it was quite a novelty to have someone like Gus take interest in me. I guess I was just blinded by the flattery…"

"But it was worth it, right? Him being romantic and all, giving his all to you. I wish Draco was more romantic…" Hermione pouted, her eyes fixed on the liquid pooling at the bottom of her teacup. Adelaide studied her daughter, trying to choose the right words to consol her,

"Romance is overrated," She decided at last, "Being with someone whose romantic says nothing about how much that person really loves you. Gus was romantic, yes, in a 'sweep me off my feet and blind me to his true nature' kind of way, which, when I think back on things is the worst kind of deceit there is."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked curiously,

"Well, there was this one time he bought me a bunch of red roses, from one of them vendors that are going through restaurants, and by the end of the evening he was selling them to passersby!" Hermione cringed in sympathy,

"Oh, ouch…" Adelaide let out a sad laugh,

"At the time I thought it was the funniest thing, but the next day I woke up to realize I was a complete knob for falling under his charm." Of course it had taken six more months until she finally plunked enough courage to face her emotionally sadistic boyfriend and her fear of being left alone. But eventually she did, and then she re-met an old dentistry school mate and the rest, as they say, was history.

"Is dad romantic?" Hermione asked, trying to remember if she's ever seen her dad bringing flowers to her mum or not,

"In his own, _very_ subtle way…" Adelaide tried to hold back her smile- saying that Freddie Granger was a romantic person was like saying gum disease were attractive…

"I'll take it as a no then." Adelaide laughed, shaking her head fondly,

"No, I mean he doesn't go overboard with romantic gestures like flowers or fancy dinners, but he always knows what I'm feeling and how I'm doing and in the long run, that's far more important." Hermione sighed, fiddling with the teabag and refusing to meet her mother's eyes,

"I guess…" She finally offered, reluctantly. Adelaide placed a soft hand to stop the twiddling with the teabag,

"Look, sweetie, I know you're a bit overwhelmed at the moment, so I suggest you take a couple of days to think things over, you are more than welcome to stay here, you know that but if you're asking my opinion then Draco is the sort of guy worth fighting for."

"You really think that?" Adelaide smiled,

"Of course I do. He's smart and handsome, and polite, not to mention filthy rich…" She added with a small wink that caused Hermione's face to fall again,

"Come on mum, I'm not with him for his money, you know that!" She cried, utterly offended by the insinuation.

"Of course you're not," Adelaide tried to placate her daughter, "There's nothing wrong with dating a wealthy man, mind you. As long as you keep in mind the other reasons you fell in love with them." She rose from her seat, and patted Hermione's head, "Good night sweetie." She said as she tried stifling a yawn and Hermione rose as well, hugging her mother tight.

"Night mum. Thank you for the tea and sympathy."

"You're welcome." She said with a soft smile. She dropped a kiss on Hermione's head and turned to make her way back to bed, stretching as she went. Hermione looked after her mother with a small smile, feeling for the first time in the last couple of hours that things might not be so bad after all.

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**A/N:** I looked it up but I couldn't find the names of Hermione's parents anywhere so I made them up. Meet Adelaide and Fredrick Granger. In my story they never went to Australia. Or maybe they did but not to hide and not with false memories.

Does anyone remember a TV series called 'Lucy Sullivan is getting married'? It's from 1999, and it featured Gerard Butler as the charming Gus. The bit with the flowers is also from there.

I decided to make my friend Beankin' very happy and put Gerard in the story, because she's an adoring fan. I'm not sure she'll even read this but babe, this is for you!


	30. Chapter 30

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**This chapter is unbeta'd.**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Thirty**

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"She's gone."

Harry and Seamus both looked up from the workbench, their hands full of floury dough. They exchanged a brief glance between them before turning to face Draco who had slumped dramatically into a chair in their kitchen and was now dipping his fingers in the flour that was littering the surface, dragging them about to form random shapes in the white substance.

"Who's gone?" Harry asked carefully, knowing this early visit did not bode well. After all, Draco was quite notorious for _not_ getting up before ten a.m. and never starting his work day before noon. Him showing up at the 'Sugardust' in the first place was a strange occurrence; add to that the ungodly hour of eight thirty in the morning and that just spelled really terrible news.

"Hermione, she left, last night. She went to stay with her parents." Harry and Seamus exchanged another glance before Seamus swooped onto the fridge, taking out a plate and placing it in front of Draco, while Harry offered him a fork with a sympathetic smile. Draco looked at the cake in front of him, a part of him wanted to argue that he didn't really need this but then again- it was the famous 'Sugardust' comfort cake, and like it or not, he needed comfort right now…

Taking the fork from Harry he jabbed at the cake, trying to look as indifferent as possible, until he took in the first bite, because that almost made it worth being depressed… The decadency of Irish cream filled fudge made out of richest and most obscenely amazing chocolate with Harry and Seamus special spices blend was just too good to be thinking about anything at all. All one could do was fall in love with it and forget the rest of the world.

"Why did she leave?" Harry asked as soon as he decided Draco was far too absorbed in his cake to take offense in the question. Draco shrugged, still too taken by the cake to even acknowledge Harry's question. But once he finished cleaning the plate and made sure there was absolutely nothing left on it the weight of his recent problem dropped on his shoulders once more.

"I asked her to marry me." He said in a hollow tone. From the corner of his eye Harry could see Seamus' face contorting in an effort not to laugh and he refused to look at his colleague, lest he will start too. This was so like Draco, to come and make everyone think he's on the verge of death just to announce something like that. Draco was nothing if not the biggest Drama Queen on the British Isles- not that Harry would come out and say that out loud, only Severus Snape could do that and still remain amongst the living.

"You asked her to marry you and she left." Harry clarified, just to get all the facts right,

"Yes. She said I was pressuring her into something she wasn't ready for. She said she needed some space to think things over." Draco tried his best to drawl, but it was a weak attempt, one that was sheer enough for both his friends to see through and see the pain he was experiencing. It wasn't so much the blow to his ego as the loss of his girlfriend. Until last night Draco didn't even realize he could feel so strongly about someone. "What do I do?" He finished, rather pitifully, lifting his eyes to his friends, sincerely hoping they'd have the answer.

Harry looked at Seamus, who in returned shrugged helplessly, and they both turned a forced smile on Draco. The blond wanted to roll his eyes; this was exactly why you had to keep a girl for best friend. Though, to his defense he honestly believed that two gays would make up for the lack of that particular female presence in his life- obviously not…

"Erm, I'm not sure we're the people to ask really…" Seamus offered when he realized Harry decided to play dumb. "I caught my boyfriend in bed with someone else and he," He jerked his thumb at Harry, "Is married." Draco nodded in agreement, technically he'd be better off turning to his godfather but he knew that would lead to an unbridled attack on Gryffindor foolishness, and sweet as that might be, it wasn't exactly what Draco needed right now.

"I thought about sending her some flowers…" He said, his gaze lowered to his fingers which were still running through the flour and thus missed the relieved look his friends shared,

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea…" The kitchen door banged open, causing the three to jump up. In strode Mairead, looking full of purpose and wearing an expression that advised the boys not to say a word about her listening at the door,

"Oh, for the love of all that's holly!" She cried, "Your girlfriend left you and you're coming to these two for advice?" Draco gulped, looking at the feisty Irish lass with wide eyes. In the short time he'd known her he'd always perceived she had came from the calmer half of the Finnigan family gene pool, the saner part, but apparently what made Seamus the way he was did not skip too far. "Flowers? You're going to bombard the poor girl with flowers when all she wants is to be left alone?" Draco raised his shoulders slowly and tried to smile, feeling like a rebuked child. Harry and Seamus, both familiar with the flaming nature of their counter-girl backed up with apologetic smiles to Draco. "What you need to do is give the girl some space. Don't call her, don't go visit her and definitely don't send her _anything_! Let her feel what it's like to be alone for a while and she'll understand how much you meant to her." Having finished her speech she turned to her co-workers and sighed, boys…. "By the way, your beau is here." She winked at Seamus and sailed out of the kitchen leaving three stunned men behind.

The first to recover the shock was Harry who turned gleefully to Seamus, grabbing the other man by his biceps and shaking him slightly,

"This is brilliant, you have got to go and talk to him!" Seamus battled his way out of Harry's clutches, flailing his arms around.

"I'm not going to talk to him, I'm still mourning." Harry rolled his eyes,

"Oh, for fuck's sake! It's been nearly six months since Oliver left, Get. Over. It!" Draco watched the two of them arguing for a moment before he cleared his throat daintily to catch their attention.

"Who are we talking about?" Seamus rolled his eyes while Harry's lit up, and he practically skipped towards Draco, eager to share,

"He's only the cutest guy ever, who's been coming here for the last couple of weeks trying to gain Seamus' attention only Mr. Gods-Forbid-I'll-Ever-Have-Any-Fun here refuses to talk to him."

"I do not refuse talking to him, I already told you…" Harry raised his hand to shush the man up,

"I know, I know, you're not emotionally available…" He recited in a bored tone. Seamus crossed his arms over his chest, huffing indignantly and looked the other way. Draco looked between the two of them before a slow smirk lit up his face. He jumped to his feet and headed to the door,

"Leave this to me." He cried before disappearing. Seamus' jaw dropped and he bolted to the door, in a desperate attempt to stop the knavish blond from embarrassing him in any way. Harry followed suit, wobbling on the spot a little from laughing so hard.

Draco stopped in front of 'Seamus' beau' and he had to admit, straight that he undoubtedly was, that the guy was hot. It could be his sapphire blue eyes or the jet-black hair, or it could be the faint smattering of freckles over his nose. It could also be the coy expression on his face that gave Draco a vibe of something deeper. The guy had an undercurrent he was positive driven guys up the wall trying to get to the bottom of it.

"Can I help you?" He asked the young man pleasantly, as if he actually worked in the shop, and the stranger flushed uneasily, catching Seamus' appearing behind Draco's back, skidding to a halt with Harry at his heels, barely suppressing a laugh.

"I, um, I was wondering, er… Do you have any Scottish shortbread cookies?" Before Draco could answer Seamus stepped forward, eyes flashing,

"We don't do Scottish!" He declared and behind him Harry rolled his eyes, for someone who wasn't emotionally available Seamus sure went to length to erase all memory of his former boyfriend. "It reminds me of my ex." The young man's face pinked and he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment,

"Oh, so I guess no chance for a haggis than…" Seamus' lowered his head a little, fixing the poor man with a glare until his counterpart started squirming uncomfortably, "Erm, well, I suppose… I should go." He finally decided, tossing them a crooked smile and turning to leave. Draco made a strangling motion towards Seamus to show him his ire of the Irishman's response before he leaped to catch the young man, grabbing his arm,

"Don't be silly!" He cried, trying to put a joyful pitch to his voice, but he avoided the fake laugh, "Ignore Seamus, he's always nasty to boys he fancies." Draco said flashing his million galleons smile at the poor guy, "I'm Draco Malfoy, by the way." The young man looked at the outstretched hand and hesitated for a mere second before taking it,

"I'm Adam. Adam Silver."

"Very pleased to meet you Adam Silver. Tell me, are you free tonight?" Draco beamed at the man, completely ignoring Seamus' murderous glare,

"Erm…" Adam look decidedly uncomfortable with this turn of events and it took Draco a second to realize why,

"Oh, no, no no no no…" He laughed joyfully, "Not for me. I'm as straight as they come, but our boy Seamus would love to take you and show you a good time…" Adam looked rather skeptical, shooting Seamus a frowning look.

"Really?" Seamus took a deep breath and pushed past Draco, deciding it was high time he took matters into his own hands and stop his friend from making a total fiasco of what could, potentially of course, be the start of something…

"Yes, really." He told Adam, who once against pinked, his usual reaction when faced with the feisty Irishman of his dreams, "Eight o'clock works for you? We could grab some dinner and then head out to town. We can leave from here." Adam smiled at him and Seamus' innards made a funny fluttering,

"That sounds great. See you at eight." With that Adam swooped out of the store, Seamus, Harry and Mairead's eyes fixed on his bottom with longing stares. Once the door clicked shut behind his back Seamus turned to his friends and tried his best to glare,

"You two are _so_ dead!" He snarled, but Harry waved an unimpressed hand,

"Oh, please. You'll be thanking us the second his hand will touch your cock." Before Seamus managed to come up with a proper response to that, Draco sighed dramatically,

"That was fun. But now I'm depressed again. Do you have any more of that cake?"

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**A/N:** The comfort cake is designed after my favorite ice-cream flavor- Ben and Jerry's 'Dublin Mudslide'. It made the last winter so much more bearable… Thank you B&J.

I just think its high time Seamus got himself a new boyfriend. Or even just a fuck… The boy is practically bursting at the seams with UST.


	31. Chapter 31

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**This chapter is unbeta'd.**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Thirty-one**

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"I've come bearing cream cakes…" Hermione looked up from her desk to see the box of cream cakes floating at the entrance to her office, with Harry's face peering from behind it. Hermione rolled her eyes, of course Draco went to talk to Harry and of course Harry felt compelled to come and hear her side before he'd be forced to choose. Not that either she or Draco would make Harry choose between them but things tended to go a little differently in the head of one Harry J. Lupin ne Potter.

"Come in, you and your cakes are welcome." Harry entered the office looking mightily pleased that his offer was taken well. Though Hermione liked to pretend she was annoyed by this bombardment of sweets as a non-official taster of the 'Sugardust' both of them knew quite well of the size of her sweet tooth. Setting the box on Hermione's desk he immediately conjured a napkin and placed one of the creamy delights on it, and pushed it towards Hermione with a sympathetic look. Hermione tried to fight the urge to smack him.

"So, I heard about you and Draco." He started tentatively and Hermione shook her head to herself,

"No doubt the reason for the cakes." She stated dryly and Harry put his hand over his heart in a hurt gesture,

"Do I not bring you cakes on other times?" He complained loudly and Hermione smiled,

"Yes, far too often to the liking of my gym trainer…" Harry shrugged, oh, well. The two sat in silence for a while, each trying to get the other one to talk first. Hermione was the first to crack, running her finger lightly through the sugar powder dusted on top of her cream cake.

"Harry, would you… would you say that Remus is romantic?" Harry shrugged, a little unsure as to what his answer to this should be. He'd never really thought about this sort of thing. After all, he came fully prepared to talk about her and Draco.

"I suppose…" Hermione leaned forward,

"What does he do that is romantic? Does he bring you flowers?" Harry shook his head,

"No, not really, neither of us is big on that, we have a garden so we prefer to grow them ourselves."

"How about chocolate and stuff?" Harry gestured towards the cream cake,

"Do I look like I need him to bring me chocolate?" Hermione sighed,

"So what's he do that's romantic?" She pressed and Harry rubbed the back of his neck, trying to analyze his relationship to see what sort of things Remus did could be considered romantic,

"Well… Hum… Oh!" He cried, causing Hermione to jump up slightly, "He leaves me notes. On the bathroom mirror." He said with a triumphant grin. When Hermione gave him a blank look he sighed, "He's got this neat spell that allows him to write on the mirror so that you can only see it with the steam of the shower. So he's usually leaving me little messages on the mirror before he goes to bed that I see in the morning when I take a shower." If anything Hermione looked even more crestfallen to hear that.

"Draco never did something like that for me…"

"That doesn't mean he doesn't love you." Harry tried to argue, but soon realized that being reasonable with someone in Hermione's state was quite futile.

"What's the most romantic thing Remus ever did for you?" Harry rubbed his forehead,

"I don't know… I guess getting up in the middle of a Parisian café and singing me a love song in French was quite romantic…" He mused, unable to hide the smile that was creeping up his face, "Though his singing was atrocious, and his accent… " He grimaced dramatically to emphasis his point. Hermione looked rather petulant, as if hearing this caused her pain,

"Draco's idea of romantic is to give me a wing at the manor. For myself…" She added nastily. She was thoroughly vexed to find out she'd been getting the short end of the stick for years when it came to romance, this was simply not fair.

"Mione… You want to tell me that you left Draco because he wouldn't bring you flowers and doesn't serenade under your window? Come on…"

"I left Draco because I couldn't bear to be Mrs. Draco Malfoy… I didn't want to be a trophy wife and the way Draco's been going it was like he only wanted me for the sake of having someone!" Harry started at her in shock. Was this really how Hermione saw her relationship with Draco? That was so… sad, not to mention untrue… Hermione brought her head down banging it against the surface of her desk, causing Harry to jump in alarm, reaching for his friend to try and stop her causing damage to herself. "I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

"No, you're just upset. It'll pass." Harry patted the bushy hair softly. Hermione lifted her head and fixed Harry with a condescending glare,

"Don't try to mollycoddle me! I know I've been horrible to Draco. I should probably apologize… I just…" Again her head banged the desk, this time louder and Harry was beginning to fear she might cause herself a concussion if she carried on like that. He decided that the next time Hermione lifted her head off the table he'd cast a quick cushioning charm on it just in case.

"You need to give yourself time to process things, Mione, don't rush things, Draco isn't going anywhere at the moment…" Hermione lifted her head with a strange smile on her face,

"Can you believe that we're sitting here discussing how wonderful Draco bloody Malfoy is?" She let out a gurgling chuckle, "A couple of years ago we couldn't stand the pompous git. How the hell did that happen?" Harry shrugged,

"We grew up I guess, disgusting isn't it?" The two shared a short laugh, though Hermione felt like she was going to burst into tears soon. "Look, Mione, you can't judge your relationship by the standards of a bloody romance novel… Draco is a Malfoy, he's always been one and he's not going to change soon- which I might remind you was the main reason why we hated him so much in school. He was not brought up to be romantic. It's not in his nature." Hermione sighed,

"I know. I just wish he'd make a little more effort. Sometimes I think he's not even trying, thinking I'd just stay and do his bidding just because he's gorgeous and rich. It's disgusting really."

"Draco doesn't think that. Trust me." Harry said with a sneer, "You should hear the way he talks about you, you're his everything Hermione, the man practically worships the ground you walk on." Hermione allowed herself a small satisfied smile, complete with a slight pinking of her cheeks. It was always nice to get compliments, even if they didn't came from the person she wanted them to come from.

"I guess. He's just really lousy at showing that…" Harry shrugged, well, that was beyond either of them to be able to fix. "I mean, even in bed…" Harry clamped his hands over his ears dramatically,

"Ok, stop!" He cried, and Hermione fixed him with one of her 'Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape combined' glares, something she had perfected during their Hogwarts years when she deemed he and Ron were being particularly silly.

"Don't go shrinking violet on me, Harry Lupin! I know what you and your dear husband are up to so don't play coy with me!" Harry threw her a suspicious look,

"How do you know what sort of things we're up to? Besides, you're a girl- sex with girls is… icky." Hermione rolled her eyes in disbelief,

"How very mature of you." She muttered, "What I mean is, you'd expect Slytherins to be adventurous and daring in bed, wouldn't you?" Harry frowned,

"I thought that was Gryffindors." Hermione opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, trying to think about this from a new angle,

"Right… That would explain a thing or two…" She mused and Harry chuckled. Hermione fixed him with another glare, her eyes narrowing in glee, "What's the most adventurous thing you and Remus ever tried?" Harry's eyes grew round with shock; as if he'd divulge this information to _anyone_, let alone Hermione Granger!

"I'm not telling you!" He practically squeaked, and Hermione grinned,

"Coward. Ok, hmm, is there something you won't do in the bedroom?" She tried to attack the subject from a different angle. Not that it was leading her anywhere productive but watching Harry squirm like that was just too good to miss. Gods, Draco was really rubbing off on her…

Harry's eyes were lowered and his cheeks were reddening fast, and Hermione just knew this was going to be good,

"Erm… well, I don't suppose we'll try foot play again anytime soon…" He confessed lowly, raising Hermione's curiosity even further,

"Foot play? As in sucking toes and such?" Harry's face became even redder and he nodded, wringing his fingers together.

"Do you remember when Remus showed up with a black eye a couple of months ago? Saying he had a bad transformation?" Hermione nodded, they'd all been mightily worried at the time, fearing that he was developing immunity to the Wolfsbane potion.

"Well… It wasn't. It was more… an accident…" Hermione's brain was piecing facts together quickly and her jaw dropped in amused shock,

"Remus tried to suck on your toes and you… kicked him?" Harry buried his face in his hands, completely ashamed while Hermione was hollering with laughter,

"It was tickling…" He muttered defensively, which only served to make Hermione laugh louder, tears springing to her eyes and her breathing wheezing. Harry lifted his head from his hands and tried to glare at the hysterically laughing girl in front of him, but Hermione was too busy wiping her eyes and giggling the laughter down to notice.

"Thank you, that was… Thank you." Hermione said, once she finally managed to will enough wind to talk, saluting Harry with the cream cake on her desk and taking a hearty bite.

"Glad I could amuse you." Harry said dryly, trying to hold on to some of the righteous anger and humiliation he was feeling but truth be told, if that made Hermione laugh and forget about her troubles for a bit it was well worth it. Besides, it definitely saved him a much more embarrassing conversation about his and Remus' kinks. "Are you going to be alright?" Hermione nodded,

"Yes, I believe I will be. I just need some time to sort things out in my head. It's pathetic but Draco will always be the man for me." She sighed, as if this predicament was painful to her but Harry smiled, knowing that it was only a matter of who's pride and ego were bigger before things were sorted out- though, knowing both of his friends, this could take quite a while…

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**A/N:** I took a little 'detour' from Harry and Remus but don't worry, next time it's back to them again.


	32. Chapter 32

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**This chapter is unbeta'd.**

**A/N: I'm sorry it took so long, but once again real life got in the way, and not even work this time. **

**I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read my story, it really does make me incredibly happy and I read every one of your reviews (so keep sending them) and keep updated about each one that enters my stories, so thank you and keep coming for more, I'll keep writing for you. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Thirty-two**

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Harry sat on the sofa, his brow furrowed as he tried to tweak an old recipe into something new and exciting. Right now he was contemplating the pros and cons of blueberries versus blackcurrants. Remus entered the room, two butterbeer bottles in his hands, heading towards the sofa. As much as he loved being a father there was something to be said for the quiet hours of the evening after hurricane Aaron was finally put to rest for the night. Sipping on his drink Remus placed the extra bottle in front of his husband and sat down next to him. Harry hummed something in acknowledgement but didn't lift his eyes from the parchment.

"I'm bored." Remus declared when it was clear he wasn't about to get any attention from his spouse. Harry racked his hand through his hair again, messing it further, by now it looked like he'd spent the day in a wind tunnel.

"Anything a blow job would sort?" He asked with a small wink and Remus nearly choked on his drink,

"I'm bored with my work." He clarified, trying to banish the horrible images that were slithering into his head by the mention of blow-jobs and co-workers. Harry bit his lip to hold back a smile, seeing Remus' reaction,

"So, no?" Remus leaned back on the sofa's back, a little mischievous smile spreading on his face,

"No, I don't think Minerva would be too forthcoming on this." Harry closed his eyes in terror, his face turning a delicate shade of green. He should have known not to try and take on a Marauder but that was just plain cruel… Taking a deep breath he laid the parchment carefully on the coffee table, lifted his butterbeer and gave his husband a mock salute with it.

"And now I'm sworn off food for the next decade…" He declared gravely, doing his best to maintain his composure while Remus was laughing his heart out.

"Sorry." He finally whizzed. Harry pouted a little, and Remus smiled, opening his arms for the younger man to cuddle into.

"How can you be bored with work when you've just started summer hols a week ago?" Harry asked curiously, knowing how much Remus cherished and needed those couple of months to recharge his energies.

"I just can't go back there. I feel like I might lose my mind if I did. I've already told Minerva I'm not returning next year." Remus explained, hating the way his voice sounded pleading, but he knew Harry well enough to know that it will not go down easy, no matter what. And indeed, his husband straightened up, sitting back stiffly on the sofa and fixing Remus with a glare,

"You already resigned?" Harry asked incredulously, "Without telling me?" Remus tried to shrug it off,

"It really isn't that big a deal…" Harry rubbed his forehead, looking at Remus as if the man sprouted another head all of a sudden,

"Really, not a big deal? And what exactly are you planning to do with your time? And money… You know we can't afford to lose income!" Remus placed a comforting hand on Harry's knee, trying to stave the panic attack before it even began. After Sirius' return from behind the veil, both Harry and Remus gave him back his money (not an easy feat, considering how stubborn all three parties were), which more than called for need of frugality on their part. Not that they were destitute by any means but keeping a house and raising a child did not come cheap.

"Well, Arthur offered me a job of sorts, and I… I decided to take it."

"And when, exactly, were you planning on telling me about it?" Harry shoved himself further away from Remus, looking at the man as if he'd personally hexed his favorite pet.

"I'm telling you now."

"Right, well thank you very much for that!" Harry snapped, "How very generous of you."

"Look, Harry, it's not a big deal, it's just a four months project of sorts, and if I do well, it could lead to other things…" Remus tried to stay calm and collected, explaining his situation. From the years he's known the man in front of him he knew that the best way to deal with Harry was landing the blow, quick and swift and not let Harry ponder over things too much. Because if he did it usually ended with days and sometimes weeks of weighing pros and cons and more often than not being awaken in the middle of the night for yet another angst filled rant about the state of things.

"What sort of 'project'?"

"It's a liaison between the ministry and clans of werewolves in order to reach an understanding which in turn would lead to a treaty to promote the welfare of werewolves." Harry nodded his head slowly, that sounded like quite a noble cause and if there was someone that could do this, keep a cool head and negotiate the best for both sides it was Remus.

"That sounds… noble. I didn't know the ministry was even considering such a treaty, it's about damn time if you ask me." Remus smiled uneasily, rubbing the back of his head,

"Well… They're not. It's the Spanish Ministry who's considering this…" Harry closed his eyes briefly, trying to calm the storm that was gathering inside him. So this is how it was going to be? The sliced salami method? Getting one piece of information at the time?

"Ok, let me get this straight," He started with a slow, calculated tone that was heavily dipped in sarcasm, "A liaison, as far as I understand is someone who will go back and forth between the two parties trying to get each of them to agree to the terms of the other. Am I right?" Remus nodded slowly, sensing it was wisest to just let the storm blow over and keep quiet, "Therefore a liaison would have to spend time with both parties and hear them out." Remus nodded again, "_In Spain!_"

"Look Cailean, it's…" Harry raised his hand to shush Remus, turning onto him, his eyes burning with anger,

"Don't you dare 'Cailean' me! When exactly were you planning on telling me about this, huh? Were you planning on leaving a bloody note saying you'll be back in four months?!" Furious beyond words Harry jumped up from the sofa and started pacing the room. Remus waited full five minutes, letting him work some of the hurt and anger out before he rose from his seat and blocked Harry's path,

"Listen to me, Harry, please." Harry's jaw was clenched tight and his hands were balled into fists. He refused to look at Remus, "I know this comes as a bit of a shock, but this is a really good opportunity for me. Finally I get to do something that I'm good at and I like because someone thinks I'll be good at it and not because they feel sorry for me." Harry tried to hold on to the remains of his righteous anger, but Remus words left him deflated. Of course he wanted Remus to be happy and do something that he liked. For Harry, who had every option available to him, and then some thanks to his name it was always a sore spot watching his husband struggling and having to settle for scrapings and favors of others.

"I just wished you'd consulted me earlier…" He muttered, his arms going around Remus, who rolled his eyes over Harry's head. This was exactly why he didn't tell him before-hand; Remus really hated pity, even if it came from the person most important to him in the world. Especially when it came from Harry. "We are really going to miss you."

"What do you mean miss me? You two are coming with me." Harry froze. Remus, sensing this pushed his husband gently away, giving Harry a suspicious side-glance. "What?"

"We can't just hop to Spain like that…" He argued,

"I start in September, it gives you plenty of time to sort things here and come with me." Harry racked his hands in his hair, resuming his pacing around the living room,

"Remus, love… You can't seriously expect me to drop everything and go to Spain for four months do you?"

"I moved to Paris for you." Remus reminded him quietly, now feeling the storm brewing inside him,

"You didn't have a job at the time; you didn't have anything else to do! I've got a shop to run, I can't just take off!" Harry was waving his hands around to try and cement his point, but Remus stayed unmoved, his arms crossed over his chest,

"You have a partner, he can pick up the slack, it's not forever!" The two of them were standing in front of each other, weighing the opponent, trying to see who would break first.

"That is hardly the point," Harry argued back hotly, "What the hell am I going to do in Spain for four bloody months? I can't sit in cafes all day and write bloody poetry!"

"That was completely uncalled for," Remus said quietly, "I didn't move to Paris with you because I wanted to live out the glorious life of a bloody street poet, I moved to Paris because I love and I wanted to be with you. And it doesn't matter if I had the best job waiting for me back here, I still would have gone. And I stayed in bloody Paris for six months! I think you can make a tiny effort for me! We're spouses; we're supposed to support each other!" Harry's jaw dropped in shock,

"Oh, please, I've supported you plenty!" He cried, feeling a bit childish but refusing to budge from his position, "And this is not going to Paris as fucking newlyweds! What about Aaron? Have you even considered what that might do to him? He's still adjusting!"

"Aaron will be fine; he'll love Spain and stop projecting your issues on him!" Remus snapped, completely enraged by the fact that Harry was willing to use their son as a bargaining stone in this.

For a long moment neither said a word, Harry was clenching his jaw tight, arms wrapped around him as he tried to reign in his anger and magic while Remus took several deep breaths trying to regain his composure.

"I can't do this right now." He finally said, turning towards the door, "I'm going out."

"Where are you going?" Harry cried after him, a trace of fear lacing through his voice. Never in all their time together did they ever stop in the middle of an argument. Never did either of them leave in the middle,

"I just need some fresh air. I think we could both use some time to think things through. I'll be back." He added when he caught sight of Harry's lost expression. Lowering his head he exited the living room.

Harry stood planted on the spot, listening to Remus' footsteps on the corridor. Once he heard the front door closed behind his husband's back Harry collapsed onto the sofa and buried his face in his hands. How could such a promising evening deteriorate so quickly?

After a while Harry realized Remus was not coming back anytime soon. Perhaps not even at all tonight. Not that Harry was worried about Remus being left out in the cold, he could always go crash at Sirius' but it was the fact that Remus wasn't coming back home to finish what he started that had Harry feeling both annoyed and saddened. Gathering himself off the sofa he made his way upstairs, stopping at the doorway of Aaron's room. The boy was sleeping soundly and Harry felt his throat tightening at the sight. Unable to help himself he carefully scooped the sleeping boy in his arms, grabbed his favorite stuffed toy and made his way to his room for what he was certain would be one of the longest nights of his life.

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**A/N:** 'The sliced salami' method is one of my best friend's favorite phrases. It means handing you a piece of information one at the time forcing you to piece things together to get the whole story- I hate it when people do that…


	33. Chapter 33

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**This chapter is unbeta'd.**

**WARNING: I'm not sure it's considered bestiality if there are two wolves, but we all know who they really are, so this is a warning for a non-too-graphic wolf sex scene. Read at your own risk. **

**A/N: There will be some considerable time jumps in the upcoming chapters; I hope it won't interfere with your flow of the story… I just really want to get things moving a bit…**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Thirty-three**

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As June blended into July and the heat of summer settled upon the earth the atmosphere in 'Rose Cottage' grew colder and tenser. After a few more shouting matches between Harry and Remus on the subject of Spain in which each party barricaded themselves further in their position and flat out refused to listen to the other they've reached a status-quo of sorts where the subject was never mentioned.

Remus was disappointed that Harry wasn't supporting him in what could be the turning point of his life. Here he was about to embark on what was surly going to be something grand- both on the personal scale and on a global scale. After all, Spain was the first, and so far only, country to see werewolves for what they truly were- people who needed guidance and support from the government, instead of labeling them as dark creatures and prosecuting them to death. This was his chance to make a difference, to put his stamp on werewolves' rights and hopefully other countries will follow Spain's example. But Harry was stubbornly refusing to support his cause or see how important this was for Remus.

Harry, on his part, was completely crushed over the fact Remus didn't see the need to consult him in his decision making. His refusal to go to Spain was not about inconvenience anymore, it just really pained him that Remus once again saw him as a child, or someone whose opinion didn't matter. This was the very basic foundation of his relationship with his husband and the sorest point of it, playing on Harry's insecurities and vulnerability.

As the tension grew in the household Remus started disappearing to his 'thinking walks' more and more often, more often than not ending crashing in Sirius' spare room instead of returning home. It was such one morning towards the end of the month when Sirius showed up at the breakfast table of 'Rose Cottage' dragging a reluctant Remus behind him. Harry and Aaron watched as the dog animagus shoved his best friend into a chair, none too gently, and then standing up and crossing his arms over his chest.

"We need to talk." He declared firmly, his eyes slipping towards Aaron who was watching the scene with big round eyes, his fork suspended halfway through to his mouth, dropping scrambled eggs all over his front. Harry and Remus exchanged a look, before Harry turned to his son, relieving him of his fork and brushing his front clean, whispering in his ear. Aaron looked reluctant at first but with a jaunty head rub from Remus he conceded and slid from his chair, going to his room to play. As soon as Aaron was out of earshot Sirius leaned forward and planted his hands on the table, fixing both men with a fierce glare,

"Now you two better listen because I'm not going to say this again!" He barked, "This little 'argument' you two have been having this past month has to stop! It's not that I don't like hosting Remus, _on occasion_. But seeing him more than I see my girlfriend is a little too much… for both of us! I am not going to sacrifice my relationship because you two are being pig headed and stubborn!" Lifting himself from the table Sirius took a step back and pointed to the direction of the kitchen door, the one Aaron left through, lowering his voice dangerously,

"Now, I couldn't care less if you two are in the mood to bite each other's heads off, and where this to happen last year I'd probably join in to stir things up for fun, but the point of the matter is that you've got a son now, and this 'spat' is getting to him!" Harry and Remus both lowered their heads in shame. It was true that Aaron was the main sufferer from the argument they've been having. The poor boy has been withdrawing into his old insecurities of late, becoming like a shadow in his own home.

"Now, here's what's going to happen. Harry, your birthday is coming up. I'm going to take Aaron to stay with me for a couple of days and leave the two of you to sort this mess by yourselves; you've got until your birthday to work through your issues. I don't care if I'll have to lock the two of you in for days at the time; you are going to fix this because I will not let an innocent boy suffer because you are being childish and stupid!" With that he turned on his heel and marched to the stairs, stomping his way up to Aaron's room.

Harry and Remus were left in the kitchen, mouths gaping and shocked. That was not how things were supposed to go… For a long moment they just sat there, avoiding each other's eyes, until Aaron came bounding down the stairs, Piggy clutched in his arm and skidded to a halt in front of his parents.

"Uncle Siri said I could go stay with him for a few days! Can I?" He cried happily. Harry forced a smile on his face, reaching out for the boy. Aaron snuggled into his father's embrace, and Harry kissed the crown of his head, looking at Remus for the first time in what felt like ages. Remus nodded his head slowly,

"Yes, Cana, you can. This will be good for you." Harry said with a small forced smile. Remus nodded with a small wink and Aaron jumped from Harry's lap, and ran up the stairs again to give Sirius the good news. Harry watched after him sadly, "Are we such bad parents that he prefers to stay with Sirius than with us?"

"Of course not." Remus placed his hand over Harry's, "A change of atmosphere will be good for him though." Taking a deep breath he pulled Harry's hand to him, "We really need to talk, don't we?" Harry let out a soft chuckle,

"Yes we do."

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While they acknowledged the need to talk, things were much easier said than done. Now that Aaron was out of the house there was no stopping them from biting each other's head off, or ignore each other to death. Harry knew this was going to be a difficult birthday, one to rival the ones he suffered as a child. Not only was this going to be his first birthday as a father, which he was going to celebrate without his son but it was also a full moon.

On the morning of July 31 Harry woke up to the delicious smell of coffee and butter and jam. Opening his eyes groggily he encountered Remus' smiling face, balancing a breakfast tray in his hands. Harry stretched and sat up in bed, looking puzzled at Remus,

"Happy birthday, Cailean." Harry smiled wide and opened his arms to welcome Remus. The two settled comfortably in bed and Remus levitated the tray to them. On it were croissants, which Harry knew Seamus had baked fresh that morning, a big lump of yellow butter, an assortment of jams and a pot of strong coffee.

"I thought you were mad at me…" Harry confessed, while he tore a fragrant pastry, inhaling the smell of freshly baked dough and butter in. There was nothing quite like a fresh croissant first thing in the morning.

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't bring you breakfast to bed on your birthday…" Harry smiled again, remembering Hermione's complaints about Draco not being romantic enough. All in all he was a damn lucky bastard.

"I'm sorry…" Harry sighed, feeling like a complete prat. He was acting like a total git and still Remus was bringing him breakfast in bed, on the morning of the full moon. By all means it should be Remus who took things lightly and Harry to tend to his needs. "I acted like a selfish brat, didn't I?" Remus licked the tip of his finger from the last drops of raspberry jam,

"Not more than I have." He answer easily, busy with dismembering yet another croissant. Harry smiled softly, it was funny really that Remus was devouring the birthday breakfast he's made for Harry himself.

"I don't want to go live in Spain, but I guess… Aaron and I could drop by to see you on occasional weekends…" He offered, biting his lip and hoping Remus would accept his peace offering for it was the best plan he'd managed to come up with. Remus nodded,

"Sounds good. I'll do my best to come here as much as I can." Harry nodded, lifting his coffee cup to Remus in salute. Remus, who hadn't poured himself any yet, lifted the end of the croissant he was holding and tapped it lightly against the cup, leaving a shining buttery print on the white china. They both smiled at each other.

"We are idiots aren't we?" Harry asked, feeling completely ridiculous, they've been fighting for weeks now, and for what? A solution that was so simple it was laughable…

"Well, the way I see it, we hardly get to fight as it is, so we were making up for lost time." Remus answered levelly, conjuring a napkin to clean his fingers after he finished handling the last croissant. The morning of the full moon more than called for comfort food i.e. sugar and fat. It was something that he didn't normally eat on regular basis and had he eaten this any other day of the month he'd become ill with heartburn. Sometimes Remus really felt like a woman…

"I hate fighting." Harry confessed, peering into his coffee cup sadly, "Especially with you…" With a wicked glint in his eye Remus banished the breakfast tray, including the cup that Harry was still holding. With one sweeping motion he turned his stunned husband on his back and straddled his hips, leaning forward to whisper in Harry's ear,

"You know what the best part about fighting is?" Harry, cottoning in on what his husband was aiming for grinned widely, bringing his arms around Remus' neck and pulling his husband down to him,

"We really should argue more often…" He murmured before ravishing Remus' lips with his own, swallowing Remus' chuckles. After a short struggle, Harry managed to take advantage of Remus' near hysterical state to roll his husband on his back. Reaching over to the bedside drawer it took Harry a moment to remember what locking spell they were using (after one too many close calls in which Aaron was innocently enough about to discover any of their sex toys the two men finally decided action was needed to be taken and therefore all of their toys and sex paraphernalia were shoved into one specific drawer and was put under a complex locking charm. They both knew that once Aaron started learning about real magic and how to perform it they would have to come up with something cleverer, but for now they hoped it would hold against their son's curiosity), but he whispered the counter-spell and managed to pull out the lubricant without wasting too much time.

"There must be an easier way to do that…" He panted as he planted the tube in Remus' hand, rolling to his back. Remus sniggered,

"Not having kids is one…" He mused softly, ducking just in time when Harry's hand rose to swat him on the head, not so playfully. Not wasting any more time Remus quickly set on to prepare his lover, while Harry was letting loose his voice, finally able to use it now that the threat of Aaron overhearing them was gone.

This, Harry decided hours later, was the only way to celebrate one's birthday. Making love to Remus was always satisfying, but on the night of the full moon it was beyond words. This was something they didn't normally do, since Remus usually devoted the hours before the full moon to meditate and relax but Harry decided he would try and coax Remus into this sort of 'relaxation method' as often as he could. It's been a while since they've been at it for hours at the time, Remus' wolf, being insatiable and craving Harry's body over and over again, to the point Harry needed a pain numbing potion. Not that Harry minded much…

The hour after the sun has set found the two of them curled up together on a lounge chair on their back porch, naked and covered in a light blanket, waiting for the moon together. There were no words between them, just slow caresses that were designed to loosen the tension that was gathering in Remus' muscles.

Remus buried his face in the crook of Harry's neck, feeling the pull of the moon getting closer and closer. Taking deep breaths to calm himself before the change he inhaled the scent of his lover, still smelling of sex and debauchery even after a shower and smiled. This was quite unusual for him just before the full moon; it was going to be interesting to see what Moony will think of Harry's smell.

Neither saw the moon make its rise over the rooftops, but Remus could feel his body changing. Harry lifted his head, praying as he did every moon for his family to be safe before he let go of the furry beast his arms were wrapped around. Moony hopped from the lounge chair, shaking himself and lifted his head towards the cursed pale orbiting satellite above him. Fixing Harry with a pair of smoldering amber eyes, the wolf moved over and nudged Harry's leg, wanting the man to transform already. Harry smiled sadly and closed his eyes, focusing on his own wolf.

Once he opened them again he found he was still stared at by Moony. Harry felt a shiver run down his spine. This was not the usual behavior for Moony, staring at him with those smoldering eyes as he was just about to pounce Harry's wolf form. He gulped and lowered his head in submission, dropping to his stomach. There was no use trying to defy his alpha male, especially not when Harry realized what the wolf was very much in the mood for.

Moony circled the smaller wolf, sniffing deeply and inhaling the scent of sex on the other animal. The scent that was his, but not quite was wafting from Seff and driving him mad. He wanted the other wolf more than he wanted anything before. For the first time in the last decade Remus took the back seat and let the wolf take over, knowing that Moony would never hurt a member of his pack, especially not this member.

Settling himself behind Seff, Moony growled again lowering himself on top of the other wolf. Seff arched his neck back, letting his dominant sniff and nibble it. Letting the feeling of his alpha above him consume him and loving every second of it.

Together the two wolves moved, Moony's heavy panting mingling with Seff's soft mewls. Somewhere in the back of his mind Harry was trying to get his head around what exactly was happening but he soon gave up on trying, letting Seff's body enjoy the sensations. Moony was moving faster, his breathing much more labored. He leaned forwards, burying his snout in the soft fur on the back of Seff's neck, biting it gently as he came. Collapsing on top of the smaller wolf Moony closed his eyes, satisfied. In all the years he's been around never did he have a chance to experience something this wonderful.

Seff wriggled, trying to shake the heavy wolf off of him. Eventually Moony rolled, lying on his back, stretching with satisfaction his four paws pointing at the sky. Seff nudged him with his snout, indicating he was ready for a bit of running. Moony responded by butting his head against Seff's side before rolling over and darting towards the grove. Seff yipped and followed closely.

By the time the moon was finishing its course towards the west the two wolves were exhausted. It's been a while since Seff had that much exercise, usually leaving the running around to Moony and Padfoot and guarding Aaron during the full moon. Moony trudged his way back to the porch and slumped on it gracelessly, beckoning Seff to him with a growl. The smaller wolf didn't even try to disobey as he snuggled close to his alpha, letting his eyes drop a little.

Seff must have dozed off because he was awakening by the feeling of nimble fingers running through his fur. Green eyes opened to see Remus smiling down at him, leaning on his side and running his fingers through Seff's thick mane. Seff grinned and rolled to his back, letting himself enjoy the feeling to those fingers running the fur of his abdomen before he transformed back, Remus' fingers still running small circles around his naval.

"That was quite a night…" Remus commended and Harry blushed, his cheeks changing color with such speed Remus couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Thank you." He leaned down and whispered in his husband's ear. If anything Harry's blush intensified, much to Remus' bemusement. This was definitely one for the books.


	34. Chapter 34

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Beta: YAY!!! Yippeee!!! Oh yeah, oh yeah!!! Dragon is BACK, people, yes she is!!! I'm so so happy… And you should be too, now that you don't have to deal with my atrocious English all alone anymore! Welcome back my fierce Dragon!**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Thirty-four**

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Harry glanced at the clock, getting more upset as the seconds ticked away. Seamus was late. True, it was his day to start late but even on those days, he usually showed up in a reasonable hour! He punched the dough he was working on a little harder than necessary, feeling his infamous temper rising. For the last couple of weeks he's been feeling completely restless and the littlest things made him nearly lose control. Harry naturally blamed it on Remus' impending leaving, even if they did patch things up and came to an agreement it didn't mean that Harry had to like the fact that he was going to be left a single dad for four months.

"Morning…" Harry turned, a few choice words on his lips to see Seamus with a huge goofy smile plastered on his face. He looked so chipper that Harry didn't have the heart to scold him. He rolled his eyes; he was such a sucker for romance…

Harry leaned against the counter he was working on, crossed his arms over his chest and tried his best not to smile,

"Do you know what time it is?" He asked in the most serious voice he could muster. Seamus glanced at the clock on the wall and shrugged the dreamy expression and goofy smile never wavering.

"Can I ask you something?" Harry just knew it was the sort of question that will open up a subject he really didn't want to talk about but the expression on Seamus' face told him he'd raise the subject either way,

"What is it?" Seamus grabbed a nearby chair, spinning it and straddling it, folding his arms over the back,

"Have you ever been with a circumcised man?" Harry rubbed his forehead briefly, yup; definitely not something he wanted to get into this early in the morning…

"I can't say that I have, but it looks like you have…" Seamus' grin grew impossibly wide but he tried to shrug away coyly, Harry sighed, "Ok, I'll bite- is it better than a non-circumcised cock?" Seamus frowned,

"Well, I don't know, it's certainly different…" Harry nodded, trying to hold his laugh. "I suppose it all has to do with how one uses it…" Seamus said with conspiratory wriggle of his eyebrows and Harry chuckled,

"Oh and how does our Jewish friend use it?" Seamus drew himself up and shivered dramatically,

"Ever so brilliantly…" Harry burst out laughing. "And he uses such delicious profanities in the bedroom as well…"

"You are such a little tart; you couldn't wait to get here to tell me!" He cried and Seamus grinned unabashed, "I have a brilliant idea! Why don't you floo over and tell Draco all about your night!" Seamus burst out laughing, shaking his finger at Harry,

"You are an evil, evil man Mr. Potter-turned-Lupin!" He chided his friend who wore an even bigger smile.

"I'm glad you and Adam are working out though, love suits you." Harry said once he returned from the Slytherin side. The smile slipped from Seamus' face, and he worried his lip,

"You think it's too soon? I mean, we've been going out for a couple of weeks and things are going great, but…" Harry lifted his hand to shush the man,

"If the lateness of the hour you showed up in means something then I bet Mr. Wonderful stayed over and you even had a little morning fun. If you ask me, it's a pretty safe bet that he likes you." Seamus rolled his eyes as if to shrug off Harry's words but the smile that crept over his face gave him away. He was happy, and probably in love, it's been so long since he felt like that and damn but he missed the feeling.

Before Seamus could open the subject more the grate flared green, much to Harry's relief, and admitted Remus and Aaron through it. The young boy wriggled out of Remus' grasp and rushed to Harry who caught him easily, spinning him around laughing. Catching a whiff of the delicious baking goods Aaron's nose wrinkled slightly as he inhaled deep, his eyes closing and a small satisfied smile spreading on his face. Harry caught that and gasped in mock shock,

"Did you come here to say hello to your daddy or to eat all the cakes?" He asked, poking his finger lightly in Aaron's belly, causing the boy to squirm and laugh loudly. Meanwhile Seamus zeroed in his attention on Remus,

"Say Remus, have you ever been with a circumcised man?" The older werewolf turned his gaze from where he watched his husband and son play to fixing it on the grinning Irishman,

"Is this a genuine question or do you just want to brag about having sex with your new boyfriend?" Seamus contemplated the question for a moment,

"Mostly brag…" He finally confessed and Remus shook his head fondly,

"Okay." He said, clapping Seamus' shoulder with a serious air. "By the way, congratulations, it was long overdue…" Seamus ducked his head, his cheeks flashing. Why was it that everyone he knew had a say on his sex life? Mearaid's voice cut through his thoughts,

"What was?" Remus placed a fatherly hand on Seamus' shoulder, mostly to keep the man from bolting now that the conversation was sure to get interesting,

"Oh, our young friend here just had a sample of the other white meat…" Mearaid frowned,

"Babies?" Remus burst out laughing while Seamus rolled his eyes,

"Jewish." Mearaid's jaw dropped and her eyes lit up like little fairy lights,

"Oh, that is so brilliant!" She exclaimed, "You finally nabbed your gorgeous boyfriend." Seamus rolled his eyes again; it had only been two bloody weeks! One would think he was saving his virtue for years by the way they were carrying on! "I wouldn't go telling your mother though." Mearaid's laughter was bubbling and she could hardly contain herself, leaning against the counter,

"Don't worry, I won't." Seamus muttered, but she didn't seem to hear him,

"I mean, she managed to stomach that Scotsman, barely. And now you're bringing her an Englishman, _and_ a Jew… Oh, gods, be sure to let me know when you're going home to introduce him…" By the time she finished her statement she was practically whizzing with laughter, spurred by Remus' own. Seamus rose from his seat, trying his best to looked miffed,

"Alright, bugger off you lot!" He cried, but the two ignored him, "I'm not even sure we'll keep dating." He said primly, but that only sent the party in the kitchen into new fits of laughter.

"Oh, please," Harry said above the laughter, Aaron still perched on his hip, munching on a Danish, "I bet you already started picking out furniture for when you move in with him." Seamus threw them all a dirty gesture and stormed out of the kitchen.

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Once again, it was 'that time of the month'. Gods, how Harry hated the full moon, probably even more than Remus did. He leaned against the door frame, watching as Remus and Aaron practiced their relaxation routine on the floor of Aaron's room, turning away as tears threatened to fall.

Throughout the day he tried to keep busy in order to take his mind off of what was going to happen that night. Flashes of last month's full moon kept creeping into his conscious sending shivers down his spine. A part of him was wrecked with guilt for enjoying the way Remus was letting his wolfish side come close to the surface and dominating him so thoroughly and with such force. Harry was growing hard just thinking about it. Surely it was wrong to feel this good by something that was linked so directly to Remus' curse. Although, whenever he caught Remus' eye during the day there was a flash of feral gleam in those amber eyes that had Harry wanting to lower himself to the ground and submit fully to both the man and the wolf.

Harry was extremely relieved when Sirius finally showed up, barging in and bringing the entire house to life with his booming laughter. To Sirius it was still a brilliant adventure, running around with his werewolf friend, just as it had been back in the day. The only change was that James wasn't there with them. He and Lily tried to come along once, but James got so depressed that he could no longer change into a stag that Lily forbade him to go anywhere near 'Rose Cottage' during nights of the full moon. She had claimed that James was beginning to turn into a ghoul and she was having none of that.

The four of them settled on Harry and Remus' bed, as per usual, awaiting the moonrise. Harry was clutching both his men tight to him, rubbing soothing circles on their backs. He heard Remus chanting softly, trying to calm Aaron down and wished his throat wasn't so tight that he couldn't make a sound.

Feeling two cold and wet muzzles at his cheeks Harry couldn't help but chuckle a little, opening his eyes to rub noses with his wolves. Aaron was hopping on the bed, rolling around and trying to nip Sirius' hands as they tried to catch him. With a wide grin Sirius transformed and leaped on the bed as well, catching the cub and rolling him onto his back, nuzzling at his stomach, causing Aaron's wolf to squirm with laughter. Remus' head was resting on Harry's stomach as they both watched the two playing around.

At long last Remus shook himself and jumped off the bed, beckoning his cub to him. Aaron landed a tad awkwardly but managed to scramble to his his father, jumping up and down in excitement. He wanted to get out and run about. In some ways the full moon was the best night of the month for Aaron as he got to stay up late and go outside after dark with his parents.

The three canines turned to look expectantly at Harry who rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, though with a smile. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his wolf, bringing it closer to the forefront of his mind so that he could tap into it. Instead of the feeling of limbs changing and fur sprouting a sharp pain seared through Harry's body, starting from his abdomen and spreading all over. Screaming he collapsed, missing the bed and falling to the floor. Dimly he could hear the frantic, near hysterical yips of his werewolf cub, before Remus who was wide eyed with fear snapped himself out of it and started herding Aaron out of the room. Sirius quickly transformed back, gathering the thrashing man on the floor in his arms, clutching him tightly to his chest as he struggled to get Harry back on the bed.

Harry lay there, panting, trying to regain his footing and start to make sense of what the hell happened to him. He felt a cool, wet flannel being placed on his forehead and turned bleary eyes to see Sirius looking at him with concern. Harry blinked a couple of times, turning his head to make sure Aaron and Remus were alright only to find out they were no longer in the room.

"Siri?" Sirius smiled weakly at him, a part of him wanted to smack Harry for frightening him like that, but most of him was just relieved the man seemed alright. "What happened?"

"You tried to transform, but then you screamed and doubled up with pain." Sirius explained, busying himself with the wet flannel and refusing the meet Harry's eyes,

"Where are Remus and Aaron?"

"Outside, probably running off the tension of seeing you collapsing." Sirius tried to grin but Harry could tell how much his collapsing scared the man, "Maybe I should call Hermione over to check you…" He mused but Harry waved a dismissive hand,

"There's no need, I'm fine. It's probably just stress from the full moon." He said, knowing that he wasn't convincing either of them. Sirius looked like he was about to argue but eventually sighed and nodded,

"Alright. Have it your way. You stay here and rest for a bit, and then you can come out and join us." Harry rolled his eyes and nodded, "But you are not allowed to transform again tonight, do you understand me?" Sirius asked, executing all of his godfather power over the young man. Harry was about to protest that he was fine again but the memory of the white-hot pain was still too fresh in his memory to argue. Even if Sirius hadn't forbid him to transform Harry doubted he'd try it again anytime soon. With one last look, just to make sure Harry wasn't about to defy him Sirius left the room, going to deliver the news of Harry being fine to his frantic husband and son.

Harry lay on his back, his hands running softly over his stomach where he still felt a dull pain, like a throbbing memory to remind him what would happen if he tried to assume a wolf's form again. He couldn't even begin to figure out what was wrong with him, and he stubbornly refused to think about it. This sort of pain did not bode well and there were very few things that popped into his mind to explain it, neither of them good.

Eventually he grew bored of just lying there, alone with his thoughts that were growing darker by the minute and Harry decided he'd be better off with the others, even though they were most likely going to pity him. Standing up carefully Harry was pleased to note that he didn't feel like throwing up right there and then. He made his way to the back of the house, stepping out on the porch. He was a little surprised to see all three canines still there, all waiting for him.

Harry carefully sat on the lounge chair, laughing as Aaron jumped right onto his lap and started licking his face, extremely relieved to hear his father's laugher.

"I'm sorry puppy…" Harry mumbled and wrapped his arms tightly around his son. Feeling a cold muzzle on his neck Harry turned his head to rub his nose with Moony's snout knowing full well that, were Remus in his human form he'd never hear the end of it. The worry and fear were plainly visible in the amber eyes of the wolf. Sirius watched the scene, feeling impatient; he wanted to run the tension of the night off, especially after Harry refused medical treatment. He was dead worried, and that aggravated him.

Harry caught Sirius' impatient growl over his family's petting him and nodded, they all needed to relieve some stress. He shoved both Moony and their cub from him,

"Go have some fun; I'll be right here when you come back." He said softly. At first both were reluctant to go but Sirius was quite insistent. The older wolf and dog herded the little cub off the porch and into the garden below. They made their way slowly towards the grove, all the time glancing back at Harry who summoned a light blanket and made himself comfortable on the lounge chair.

Throughout the night he watched his family play at the edge of the grove, always in plain sight of him. He knew that Sirius and Remus were looking over to make sure he didn't do anything stupid and he wanted to roll his eyes, sometimes they really did treat him like a child. After about three hours of playing, Moony brought Aaron back to Harry, the little cub almost swaying with exhaustion. He wasn't used to being awake at such hours, and as soon as he was cuddled in Harry's arms the little wolfling fell into a deep sleep. Harry curled around his son, running his fingers through the soft fur and closed his eyes.

It took another hour or so for Moony and Padfoot to exhaust themselves as well. Returning to the porch Sirius quickly morphed back into his human self and grabbed his wand, enlarging the lounge chair so that Moony could jump up and cuddled with his family. He watched the two wolves and Harry for a while before a huge yawn claimed him. It was high time he went back home to his own little family, slipping into Mearaid's arms and just falling asleep would be pure bliss, especially after the night he's had. Worried as he was Sirius knew for a fact that Remus would not let something like what happened tonight slide unchecked and therefore he could relax somewhat and go home to sleep knowing that Harry was going to get the medical assistance he needed whether he liked it or not.

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**A/N: **Babies, the other other white meat… You know, Fat Bastard from 'Austin Powers'…


	35. Chapter 35

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Beta: Long live the Dragon!!  
**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Thirty-five**

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It had been three days since the August full moon and still Harry hadn't been to see Hermione. Remus was doing his best not to bully Harry into it but Harry could tell he was dead worried about what had happened that night.

Truth be told, Harry was scared shitless about what it could mean. He didn't want to find out he was ill with something that was incurable and would finish him off anytime in the foreseeable future. He much preferred not to know and have his last days with his family as happy and carefree as possible. Even the prospect of being in absolute health but being unable to transform anymore sent chills down his spine. In short, Harry decided that the 'What-you-don't-know-can't-harm-you' approach was the best way to handle his current situation.

But three days into his decision Harry finally reached the conclusion that ignorance couldn't be the answer. He decided to have another little test before he completely panicked and promised himself that if the results were less than satisfactory he'd go to see Hermione immediately. Choosing his day off, he waited until Remus had taken Aaron over to Hogwarts for his lesson with Snape, in order to carry out his test.

Comfortably arranging himself on his bed, Harry closed his eyes and concentrated. A feat made harder by the memory of the pain that still sat fresh and white hot in his mind. But Harry refused to succumb to it and brought Seff's image to the forefront of his mind. Before he could reach out the pain seared through him again, causing his entire body to arch off the bed and a scream to echo in the bedroom. Opening his eyes and panting Harry could feel tears streaming down his cheeks, both from the pain and from the realization that there was nothing for it, he was dying of some strange disease and was leaving his loved ones behind.

Trying to get his breathing under control again Harry waited until the cramps in his abdomen subsided enough for him to be able to move. He made his way to the fireplace, holding his abdomen and grabbed a handful of floo powder calling out Hermione's office address, and rushing through the grate to stand before his oldest friend, who looked a little startled to see Harry with his hair in a bigger mess than usual, sooty tear tracks on his face,

"Hermione!" He cried, "I need you to check me out!" Biting her lip the witch leaned back and ran her eyes over Harry's disheveled form,

"You look a mess, but you've got a really cute arse so most people won't even mind." Harry wasn't sure whether he should roll his eyes or simply strangle her,

"Hermione, I'm serious! Tell me what's wrong with me!" He snapped. Hermione sighed; Harry was no fun like this. She rose from her seat and took her wand from the desk, running it over Harry and muttering a series of generic diagnostic spells,

"There's nothing wrong with you, you and your baby are in perfect health." Harry's eyes grew comically wide and his jaw dropped. Hermione was not far behind. The two blinked at each other for a whole minute, trying to process what Hermione was saying.

Hermione was the first to recover, dropping back onto her chair, running the wand between her fingers with the smuggest expression on her face,

"So…" She said slowly and deliberately, while Harry still stood shell-shocked before her, "I take it you and Remus had a little bit of fun on your birthday…" Harry closed his eyes in pain, dropping into the chair before her, burying his face in his hands. Hermione's eyes were alight with mirth and she leaned forward, "I believe there's something you wish to tell me…" Harry lifted his head and glared at her, but Hermione just gave him a sweet smile. Harry sighed, it was better to have this charade over with so that he could get the answers he needed,

"You were right." He mumbled, and Hermione's face split into a grin so big that Harry feared the top of her head might fall off.

"Ah, music to my ears," She simpered, "Say it again…" Harry glared at her,

"Don't push your luck Granger!" He snapped. Hermione rolled her eyes, looking far from impressed by his rudeness. Silence stretched between them for a long moment more. Hermione waited for the news to truly sink in and made sure her wand was within reach in case Harry went into a full blown panic attack and she needed to sedate him for his own good.

"Harry, are you alright?" She tenderly asked when she realized Harry wasn't going to snap out of his shock anytime soon,

"I don't know, am I?" He asked with a wondering voice, in a somewhat detached manner that had Hermione slightly worried,

"Physically you are, but maybe you should talk about it…" Harry fixed her with a glare,

"Talk about it? _Talk_ about it… About what exactly, huh? Your crazy theory proven right and the fact that I'm now bloody _pregnant_?!" He rose from his seat and started pacing the room. The fact that he wasn't terminally ill and wasn't about to die anytime soon didn't really make him any happier about the predicament. Sitting down heavily he rubbed his stomach unconsciously taking a deep breath, "I'm pregnant aren't I? I'm a freak…" Tossing his head backwards he let out a mad bark of laughter, "Gods, uncle Vernon was right… I'm a complete freak!"

"You're not a freak, Harry." Hermione said in the most patient voice she could muster. Harry just shook his head in disbelief,

"Really? How many pregnant males do _you_ know?" He asked sarcastically. Hermione gave him a tight smile and opened her desk drawer, pulling out a small stack of files,

"Four actually." She slid the files towards Harry who looked doubting but flipped the first one open anyway. Scanning the page and seeing nothing in his turbulent state of mind he decided this was getting him nowhere and snapped it back shut,

"What do you want me to say?" Hermione shrugged,

"How about, you're happy that you finally got the family you wanted?" Harry snorted,

"I already have the family that I want. Gods, this is a fucking lark! What am I going to say to Remus?" He tossed his hands in the air, and rubbing his face.

"Why do you assume he won't be happy?"

"Because he's leaving for Spain in a week, and he's going to think I did this deliberately to get him to stay." Harry answered bitterly. Gods, just when he and Remus finally found the silver lining in this situation this… this… _predicament_ was going to mess things up all over again!

"Harry look, I think you should go home, and get some rest and think things over. You do have options, whether you choose to keep the baby or not, but I strongly suggest you discuss things with Remus before you make any rash decisions." Hermione said in a soothing voice, laying her hand over Harry's. Harry nodded dumbly, feeling completely lost, "Oh, and I wouldn't try to transform if I were you, but if the state you showed up in here means something than I guess you already know that."

"Why _wasn't_ I able to transform?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well, it's a bit complicated and I'll try not to get too technical because I know it makes you go crossed-eyed," Harry rolled his eyes at this, but to be fair, she did know him quite well… "The thing is, since you are not a female and therefore ill equipped to carry a child your body has started to form some sort of magical barrier to allow the baby to grow in. Now, this barrier will expand as the baby grows, which may cause some fluctuations in your own magic, but we can discuss that later on. The point is, your wolf's form isn't able to sustain the magical barrier and therefore your body is rejecting it- its utmost priority is to keep the baby safe." Harry nodded,

"So, I won't be able to transform again?" Hermione shook her head,

"Not while you're still carrying the child. After the baby is born I fully believe you'll retain your normal animagus abilities. Technically, if you pushed it real hard you could achieve transformation, but there's a very high chance that you could lose the baby." Harry nodded again, well that didn't sound so bad, it was only for… Wait, how long did a _male_ pregnancy last?

"How long does a male pregnancy last?" He asked,

"Nine months, the same as a woman's. Since you conceived on your birthday I can tell you that you should be a proud father again by the end of April. A spring baby." She beamed at him, though Harry didn't really share her enthusiasm yet, there were just so many questions needed answering…

"But the baby was conceived under the full moon, how come I can't transform? And… Oh gods, does that mean…" He closed his eyes briefly, hoping Hermione would catch onto his meaning without him having to spell it out, Hermione caught on to his drift and shook her head,

"No. It doesn't mean anything. I could explain to you why you can't transform but it's too technical and boring, so just trust me on this one. As for your second question… There is no proof the child will be infected with lycanthropy. All evidence of werewolves so far were reports of biting, not being born with it. But I will be able to tell you for certain only after the baby is born." Harry sighed; Remus is _not_ going to like this… "Harry, you're still in shock, and it's understandable, you should go home and rest, take a couple of days to think things over before you make any sort of decision." Reaching across the table Hermione placed a soft hand on Harry's, "For what it's worth, I'm going to support you no matter what you decide." Harry took a deep breath and nodded, placing his other hand on top of hers,

"Thanks Mione, you have no idea how much that means to me." He rose to his feet, and gave Hermione a weak smile before he stepped into the grate.

Upon arriving home Harry immediately went to his bedroom, glad that Remus was still out- probably snagged by Sirius to do nefarious things now that neither of them was working. He lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling and tried to make sense of what just happened in Hermione's office. He was… He was p… Gods, he was pathetic, he couldn't even think the word…

Harry took a deep breath and placed a soft hand on his abdomen. A month, it's been a month since he and Remus were… and now he was… A baby, he and Remus had created a baby. Harry was quite overwhelmed with the knowledge. Yes, of course Hermione had badgered them about this sort of thing for ages but neither of them thought it could really happen. Harry rubbed his face; this could not have come in a worse time… Not only was Remus leaving for Spain in a matter of days but what of poor Aaron? The boy was just beginning to gain his footage around the house, getting used to being their child and now they were going to bring another?

Solutions, Hermione said there were other solutions, but Harry refused even begin to contemplate what that meant. Killing a despised and hated half-human was bad enough for his mental health and conscience; could he even imagine doing it to someone that was conceived with the utmost love? Someone that was as much a part of him as, say… his heart or mind? Never.

Rubbing his face harder Harry wanted to let out a mad laughter, burst into tears and scream, all at the same time. He briefly wondered if this was a pregnancy effect or whether he was truly losing it. He was having a baby! Will it be a boy or a girl? Harry wasn't sure what he wanted more, both options seemed perfect to him. Will they look like him or Remus? Gods, he hoped they'd get Remus' hair; anything else was up for debate, but the hair… Harry didn't think he could live with the knowledge that he had passed on James' rat nest onto yet another generation.

James… Oh sweet Merlin, his parents were going to have kittens over this! Harry giggled softly to himself, trying to imagine his parents and Sirius' reactions. Lily would be thrilled he knew, she'd love every second of taunting him on how the baby was conceived, he would never ever hear the end of it! James and Sirius… Now, those two would probably turn red, start muttering and flee the room as soon as Lily would broach the subject of gay sex in her 'Oh so very subtle, it looks like a herd of blind and dumb hippogriffs just stampeded through here' sort of way. Well, at least he would get some sort of amusement out of all this, Harry thought with a grim smile.

And telling everyone else… And then there was the press… Although they lived in a remote enough area, and spent very little time in London outside of the 'Sugardust' that is, Harry and Remus weren't as press free as they would like. The cottage itself were under Fidelius charm and the shop under a modified version of it, so at least the wizarding version of paparazzi couldn't get them there but it didn't mean that they didn't try whenever Harry ventured out of the safety of those places. It seemed that the magical world was ever keener on finding details of their favorite hero, the more reluctant and camera shy Harry became the more they wanted to know. So far, Harry had made it clear that any interviews he was ever likely to give were to Luna Lovegood of the 'Quibbler'- which was his way of saying he was still pissed as hell that the 'Daily Prophet' kept Rita Skeeter on its payroll. The last thing Harry wanted was for the magical world to find out about his pregnancy. This would surely lead to a world war size catastrophe.

His brain aching with the swirling of thoughts Harry decided he needed rest above all. First things first, he'd have to tell Remus about this new turn of events and hope for the best. Taking his wand in hand and muttering the spell that Dumbledore taught all these years ago to clear his mind of the jumble of thoughts. Once his brain was washed with nothingness he closed his eyes and succumbed to sleep, his hand softly resting on his stomach.

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**A/N:** I just want to remind you that I posed the question of Hermione's theory after the first chapter and no one seemed to object, so there.

I will be following Harry's pregnancy and whatever comes over the family. If you've got any helpful suggestions, especially pregnancy-wise, feel free to play Healer Granger and let me know. Thank you.


	36. Chapter 36

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Beta: Give it up for Ddddddragon!!**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Thirty-six**

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When Remus came home, he found Harry standing in the kitchen, contemplating dinner. In the hours that had passed since the shocking revelation that he was carrying a child Harry had actually come to terms with the idea and realized he was quite happy with it. After all, this was something he had wanted for a very long time and having a child that was half him and half Remus was, when Harry allowed himself the undiluted truth, beyond amazing. He placed his hand on his stomach again, smiling secretly.

"Is your stomach bothering you again?" Harry literally jumped, spinning quickly on his heel and nearly falling down. Gasping for breath he leaned against the counter behind him. He regarded his husband with wide eyes,

"Gods, Remus you frightened the shit out of me… I didn't hear you come in…" Remus tried not to smile at his husband's state, because poor Harry was clearly shaken, but man that was funny…

"Are you alright? Is your stomach still bothering you? Have you gone to see Hermione?" Remus asked in concern. If Harry was going to continue with his stubborn behavior Remus decided he would drag his arse screaming and kicking to see Hermione if he had to.

"I'm fine." Harry smiled again, trying to shrug off Remus' concern. A part of him wanted to keep this to himself a little while longer, just to have his little secret- let the idea grow in his mind and body until he was fully ready for it. But Harry was realistic enough to know that this could take much too long. Besides, Remus deserved to know.

"Harry, you are _not_ fine, and I will not have you pretending that for the sake of mine or Aaron's happiness and ignorance, if you have something then I think I should know, no, in fact I demand to know what's wrong with you!" Harry took a deep breath, trying to smile reassuringly,

"Remus, sit. It's not as bad as you think." If anything, these words were sending Remus even deeper into the spiral of worry. Taking a deep breath he sat down carefully on the edge of the chair, ready to jump up and whisk Harry off to St. Mungo's at a moment's notice if needs be. Harry licked his lips, somewhat nervous, this was the money-time stage of the game, there was quite a lot at stake here, and frankly, the only way Harry saw this playing out was charging full steam ahead.

"Harry, have you gone to see Hermione?" Harry sat down carefully in front of his husband, seemingly not hearing his question, and placed a hand over Remus',

"Yes, I have. And I know why I can't transform anymore." He took another deep breath, and squeezed Remus' hand. "I'm pregnant." Remus blinked at him, looking much like Harry had only a few short hours ago in Hermione's office.

"You're…" Harry nodded,

"Yes." Remus took a deep breath, trying to absorb the information,

"So, Hermione was right then."

"Yes."

"And you're…" Again, Harry nodded,

"Yes I am." Remus let out his breath, deflated. For a long moment the two sat at the kitchen table not saying a word until Harry cracked, "Well, aren't you going to say something?" Remus lifted his eyes,

"What do you want me to say?" Harry shrugged helplessly, anything! Say anything you daft wolf, you're killing me here, he cried in his head,

"Aren't you happy?"

"Happy?" Remus breathed out, jumping from his chair and raking his hand through his hair, "Happy? Why the hell would I be happy?" He practically yelled, "I'm leaving for Spain! In a week!"

"I know…" Harry tried to reach out for his husband but Remus pulled his hand away,

"How could you do this?" Harry's jaw dropped in shock,

"Me? How could _I_ do it?" He asked in complete disbelief, "How could… You've got a lot of nerve implying that mister! I recall _you_ had a big part of… _this_!" He gestured wildly at his stomach and Remus flinched. Harry's jaw tightened, gods he was mad now! "This is not some trick I'm playing to keep you from going to Spain and fulfill whatever it is you think you're going to fulfill there. I just thought you should know before you go."

"What do you want me to say?" Remus was still trying to maintain his calm façade but it was failing fast,

"I don't know!" Harry yelled, his hands balled into fists and his entire form shaking, "How about you're happy that we're going to have another kid?"

"Happy?" Remus jumped to his feet, looking both raged and shocked, "You expect me to be happy about this? Are you mental?" Harry's jaw dropped, his fighting spirit gone, he slumped back into his chair,

"I thought you wanted to have a family with me too…" He said in a small voice. Remus raked his hand through his hair in exasperation again,

"We already have a family. You, me and Aaron." He stopped his mad pacing and faced Harry, his face falling back into the mask of calmness that he wore around his students and people he didn't want to talk to. Harry's jaw tightened again, "We cannot have another kid right now." Harry nearly rolled his eyes, he hated when Remus did that, spoke to him as if he was slow,

"We don't have much of a choice." He said harshly. Remus took a deep breath through his nose,

"There is always a choice." He deadpanned quietly. Harry's eyes widened in shock and his hands flew to protect his stomach.

"You don't mean that…" He whispered, praying that his ears were deceiving him and that he wasn't hearing what he thought Remus was saying,

"I can't handle this right now, I'm sorry Harry."

"Do you even realize what you're asking me to do?" Remus sat down heavily on the chair, refusing to meet Harry's eyes, and thus confirming Harry's worst fears, "I can't believe… You want me t… I…" Taking a deep breath he tried to compose himself enough to complete a sentence,

"Harry…"

"No!" Harry breathed out, feeling the adrenaline coursing through his body now that the shock had faded somewhat. "You want me to…" Harry ground his teeth, forcing himself to vocalize the horror, "You want me to get rid of my… _our_ baby?! Gods, I can't even look at you right now. Get out!" Remus' head snapped up,

"What?"

"You heard me," Harry's voice dropped an octave, "Get. Out! I can't believe you would even consider asking me to do such a thing! Out!" He cried, pointing at the doorway of the kitchen. Remus jumped to his feet,

"Fine!" He cried and stormed out, leaving his somewhat stunned husband behind. Even someone as docile and easy going as Remus had his limits and when his own husband refused yet again to listen to his side of things Remus had had enough. Harry slumped onto the chair, burying his head in his hands, tears prickling in his eyes and he cursed both himself and Remus for everything.

He could hear Remus banging and moving around in their room, obviously venting his frustration on innocent furniture. Soon enough the banging noises died out, but instead of seeing Remus storming back into the kitchen and demanding to be heard Harry heard the unmistakable whooshing sound of the floo network going off. Jumping to his feet Harry ran into the bedroom, but Remus was already gone. Pressing his fingers briefly to his eyes he sighed. Looks like Remus went to crash at Sirius' once again. Exiting the room slowly Harry crossed the hall to his son's room, wanting to draw comfort from the boy's presence.

Upon entering the room Harry saw a quivering bundle under the blankets on the bed. Rushing over Harry peeled off the blanket, revealing the red and puffy face of Aaron, who had his fist stuck in his mouth to hush his sobs. Immediately Harry gathered the boy to him, summoning tissues to blow his nose and clean his face. Aaron clung to him, weeping quietly and clutching Piggy to him.

"Cana, baby, what's wrong?" Harry whispered as he rocked the boy, trying to get him to stop crying. Aaron hiccupped,

"I… d-don't want t-to go…" He wailed and buried his face in Harry's chest. Harry closed his eyes briefly. Of course, they forgot the bloody silencing charms again and the poor boy must have heard that Remus didn't want the baby. Thinking fast, Harry tried to decide how to tackle this new problem, this wasn't going to be easy, especially since Remus was not around to help.

"You're not going anywhere." He assured the boy, who didn't look all that convinced,

"Daddy said h-he didn't w-want the baby…" Aaron whispered, and Harry hugged him tighter, kissing the crown of his head,

"Oh, Canagan… Of course we want _you_. We would never give you up." He said and even managed to plaster a smile on his face, "Daddy wasn't talking about you."

"But he said the baby…" Aaron whispered, still refusing to believe he was welcomed despite Harry's reassuring words and hugs. Harry sighed again, there was no way around it- he was going to have to tell Aaron what was going on. It was one thing explaining this to Remus who was quite familiar with the concept of sex and how children came into the world than having to explain it to a four years old child without the benefit of any visual aids or physical proof.

"I know. But he didn't mean you. There is going to be another baby." Harry explained slowly. Aaron frowned, another baby? And he wasn't being replaced? That didn't make sense… "You are going to be a big brother."

"What is a big brother?" He asked timidly. Harry was quite at a lose. What _was_ a big brother? He never had the benefit of any sort of sibling, so how the hell was he supposed to explain that concept to his son? Damn Remus for leaving like that, he was so much better at these things.

"Erm… A big brother is someone who… um…" Harry rubbed the back of his neck, feeling like ten kinds of idiot. He didn't want to lie to Aaron, but having to explain something you yourself were not entirely familiar with was one thing- having to use terms that a four years old child will understand… Well, that was a whole new level of hard. "Ok, say you- you are going to be a big brother," He gestured towards Aaron who was looking at him with wide eyes and a blank look which made Harry even more nervous, "Because there will be another baby. Which will be younger than you, and smaller, making you the _big_ brother." Gods, it sounded lame even before he said it out loud… If anything Aaron's face turned confused and Harry sighed, "Look, I don't have any brothers or sisters but I hear that being a big brother can be really nice. You've got someone to play with, right here at home. Usually the little brother or sister looks up to you to help them and protect them and they think you're the smartest thing in the world." And now he was talking completely out of his arse… But apparently it did the trick because Aaron's face split up in a huge smile,

"Really?" Harry nodded in encouragement, whooping inside that he was making progress,

"Yes, of course. They'll love you."

"Where is the baby?" Crap! Rubbing the back of his neck again Harry gave his son a tight smile. Taking Aaron's little hand in his he placed it on his stomach,

"Here." Aaron looked at his father's flat stomach and then at his face, and at his belly again, before he grinned,

"Daddy!" He cried, this was silly, how can a baby be in daddy's belly? Harry rubbed his eyes under his glasses, knowing he'd wasted the whole big brother speech and that Aaron was never going to believe there was a baby inside him until he started showing, or until the baby started moving- which came first?

"It's true Cana. The baby is inside me but it's still too small, about this size." He held out his forefinger and thumb spread about half an inch between thanking heavens Hermione wasn't there to correct him.

"But you said I can play with the baby…" Aaron pouted, looking crestfallen at the thought of being a big brother to a peanut, and frankly Harry couldn't blame him.

"Tell you what. How about you and I go to Uncle George's shop tomorrow and get you a pigmy puff to look after while we're waiting for the baby to grow!" It was bribery he knew but it was the only thing Harry could think of at the moment. Besides, Aaron loved those little fur balls, he would spend hours just staring at their tank in the WWW shop and give Harry and Remus dewy eyes when they said no to owning one.

"YAY!" Aaron cried and jumped out of the bed, looking all purposeful and ready to march to London at the very second. Harry laughed at his son's enthusiasm and grabbed the boy, lifting him easily into the air and spinning him,

"Not so fast little one," He breathed out laughing, "I said tomorrow! Right now you are going to have your bath, brush your teeth and get ready for bed. We can read to Jonah if you like." Aaron scrambled to the floor, sprinting to the bathroom, eager to finish his chores and hurry tomorrow along.

**A/N:** Squeak! Oh my... What will become of our boys now?


	37. Chapter 37

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Beta: The one and only, Dragon.**

**First off, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas!! And I know that Hanukkah is over but Happy Hanukkah too. I hope everyone is getting lots and lots of presents.  
**

**I really love all of your reviews, I read each and every one of them and they make me feel really good, bringing a smile to my face and all. So keep them coming because they really do make my day. :-) **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Thirty-seven**

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Waves, there were waves all around him and a little fish was yelling something at him, swimming from one side of his head to the other. Harry tried to brush it away, the little fish was being a little annoying, and since when did fish even yell?

"Daddyyyyy!" The little fish was looking for his daddy in the turbulent sea… That was sweet, and sad… Suddenly a body landed heavily on his shoulder and Harry groaned. Opening his eyes blearily he could just make out the messy dark locks that framed the hopeful face of his son, "Daddy wake up!" Harry sighed, well, guess the little fishy found his daddy after all.

"I'm up…" He mumbled and Aaron, satisfied with his efforts resumed his earlier activity of jumping up and down on his parents' bed. Harry rose to his elbows, looking at the boy hopping around, before a little smile graced his lips. He waited until Aaron was up in the air before he plucked him out, sending both of them flying onto the mattress laughing.

"We getting a pimy puffy today." Aaron announced happily and Harry smiled sadly. The events of yesterday apparently weren't a horrible dream. He sighed; he'd just have to go to Sirius' place and try to persuade Remus to come home.

"Breakfast first." Harry announced firmly, and Aaron nodded seriously, breakfast was important, he needed all his strength if he was to pick the best pigmy puff in the shop! Waiting impatiently for Harry to detangle himself from the covers, Aaron then sprinted to the kitchen, already climbing into his heightened chair when Harry walked in, yawning wide and heading for the cupboards. Harry proceeded to whip some eggs and cream for some French toast. Just like everything food related with Harry this was no mere French toast, but a little work of art. He placed the first batch in front of his son who didn't waste any second and started digging in with much gusto.

"Uncle Siri!" Harry turned his head around to see Sirius walking into their kitchen, heading towards Aaron in order to greet him properly. Harry watched them interact, noting that Sirius was a little stiffer than usual around the boy. That couldn't be a good sign… looking down at his plate Harry suddenly lost his appetite, knowing that if Sirius was showing up in his kitchen alone he was carrying bad news with him. Pushing the plate away Harry tried to smile bravely,

"Sirius, good to see you." Sirius raised an eyebrow at him, telling him that he knew Harry was bluffing, but didn't say anything, "Would you like some French Toast?" Sirius looked torn. He was sent here by Mairead to tell Harry what's going on, not have breakfast. But Harry's French Toast… Bracing himself and taking a deep breath Sirius looked Harry square in the eye,

"Yes please." Harry gave him a lop-sided grin; no one could resist his cooking, especially not Sirius Black who probably had the largest sweet tooth in all of England, battling for the world title with only Hermione and Draco. Quickly he fixed a plate for his godfather, who sat himself down beside Aaron who was babbling away happily about the pigmy puff he was going to get.

"Cana, sweetie, why don't you go to your room and play for a bit, while Uncle Sirius finishes his breakfast." Harry suggested, eager to hear the news Sirius brought but not willing to have him sharing them in front of Aaron and upsetting the boy. Aaron sighed; he wanted to go to the shop, right now! But knowing better than to argue with his daddy he sadly nodded and pushed his plate away. Sliding from his chair he gave Sirius a little wave goodbye and went out the door.

"So, you and Remus had another little tiff last night." Harry shrugged, well; it wasn't like Remus showed up at Sirius' house because things were going fabulously, right?

"He's still pissed?" He asked, and Sirius shrugged,

"You could say that. He took the first international port-key to Spain this morning." Harry's jaw dropped,

"What?" He whispered his face blank with disbelief. He never thought the news of his pregnancy would upset Remus so much that he would leave for Spain a week ahead of time. Grabbing his head in his hands he just sat there, staring at the tabletop while Sirius chewed slowly and watched him.

"What did you two fight over that was so serious?" He finally asked when Harry didn't show any signs of moving, "I thought you had the whole thing with Spain sorted out." Harry let out a little snort,

"Spain isn't the issue here." Lifting his head he fixed Sirius with a frown, "Remus didn't tell you?" Sirius shook his head,

"Nope, he just said you were impossible to talk to and barricaded himself in the spare guest room without a word." Harry shook his head, thank you so much Remus, love, for running away like a bloody coward and leaving me to sort out the mess! "So, what's going on?" Harry jumped up slightly, his entire posture defensive and secretive, which annoyed Sirius even more,

"Nothing. Like you said it was just a stupid tiff."

"Stupid enough to cause Remus to jump on the first port-key out of the country?" Sirius was going to get to the bottom of this, even if he had to resort to playing dirty. When Harry shrugged yet again and refused to answer him Sirius was left with little choice, "Do I need to go and ask Aaron what's going on?" Harry jumped up and glared at his godfather,

"Don't you dare!" He growled at him, outraged that Sirius would even consider using his son against him. When he saw Sirius' determined chin he slumped back in his chair, knowing that he had lost and that he'd better come clean with what's happening. "Do you remem…" Before he could finish his sentence two ghosts glided through the wall and into his kitchen. Harry frowned at his parents, "What are you two doing here?" James Potter shrugged his translucent shoulders,

"What? Can't an elderly couple drop by their son's house for a spot of breakfast?" James floated over to the table, "Ooh, French toast!" Lily rolled her eyes,

"James!" She snapped, "Focus. And speak for yourself when you say things like elderly!" Harry sighed; his day was spiraling downward at an alarming speed…

"You guys don't eat." He fixed his parents with a glare, "Why are you really here?" Lily and James exchanged a glance while Sirius was busy tucking into his plate again, keeping his head as low as he could to avoid attention,

"Alright…" James sighed, spreading his hands in surrender, "Sirius contacted us." Harry turned his glare to Sirius who was caught mid-bite. Swallowing hard the man tried to smile at his furious godson,

"There's something big going on, I figured I'd need some support."

"Harry," Lily pressed gently, "What is happening?"

"Nothing!" Harry insisted, why couldn't they just leave him alone? He wasn't ready for the whole world to know about his state. "It's between Remus and me; it's none of your business." Sirius cleared his throat, a noise that sounded a lot like a sneer,

"It _is_ my business when your husband dear shows up yet again on my doorstep in the middle of the bloody night!"

"I thought you had it all figured out," Lily said in a soothing tone, trying to bring peace back into the conversation before Sirius or Harry exploded, "Alternate weekends and all. What happened?" Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead, there was no way around this, he was going to have to come clean, because if he didn't they'll find the truth somewhere else- and the notion of it coming from Aaron was sending cold chills down his spine. Heavily he sat down and focused his eyes on the pattern of the tablecloth.

"Do you remember Hermione's theory about the full moon?" He started in a flat tone,

"You mean Lily's theory." James quipped and Harry's head snapped up in surprise.

"What?"

"Oh, please," Lily waved a breezy hand, looking rather pleased with herself, "Hermione is a sweet girl but she doesn't have nearly enough imagination to come up with such a brilliant idea." Harry couldn't resist rolling his eyes; he should have known Lily had something to do with this…

"Yeah, well. Congratulations mum. You've been proven right." He intoned dryly. Lily waved an ethereal hand dismissively,

"Of course I have…" Considering Harry's last words she stopped her preening and her eyes widened, "You mean…?" Harry nodded, hardly able to suppress the smile that was tugging at his lips at the sight of the three adults gaping at him,

"I get to be godfather again?" Sirius whispered in awe. It was a real blow to the ego when Harry had decided to go with Seamus as Aaron's godfather, though Harry had argued at the time that since Sirius was already _his_ godfather he couldn't possibly be his son's as well. But Harry had a feeling Sirius was hell bent on having a set of them and that this time he wasn't going to back down so easily.

"I get to be a grandfather again?" James lamented in a chagrined voice that no one bought, "Merlin, I _am_ elderly…" The two men grinned wide at each other and Sirius dove straight for the cabinet where he knew Harry and Remus kept their liquors, hoping the two still kept some firewhiskey now that they were respectable parents. Lily however, didn't join the celebrations just yet. She gazed at Harry shrewdly, crossing her arms over her chest,

"Is that why Remus left?" Harry met her gaze squarely,

"Yes." James turned around from watching Sirius searching for firewhiskey he couldn't even drink at hearing Harry and Lily's conversation. Breathing slowly through his nose the ghost of the Stag marauder started swelling with rage, a process that Sirius found quite hilarious when he wasn't on the receiving side of it,

"Remus is running away from his responsibilities to you?" He asked in a dangerously low voice and even Lily backed away a little from him, "The Bastard! Come, Lily!" He gestured regally at his wife who was looking at him with an amused expression over her face, "We are going to Spain!"

"Stop, James!" She answered her tone tight with suppressed laughter, "We can't."

James frowned at her, but when his eyes landed on her corporeal body he realized that she was right. Thinking fast he turned to Sirius,

"Very well, Sirius, you go!" Sirius looked like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment, his hand clutching the bottle of firewhiskey he found on the top shelf,

"Erm, sorry mate, I can't…" He said with an apologetic tone, but James waved an unimpressed hand,

"Why, your passport is out of date? Never stopped you before…" Sirius smiled nostalgically before he snapped back to reality,

"No, it's just that ever since I got back from behind the veil, I find that I have… similar travelling restrictions as you guys…" James lifted his hands in defeat, gods he hated being a ghost right now, because instead of giving in to his Gryffindor instincts and rush down to Spain to drag Remus back by his ear he was stuck in this kitchen with nothing to do but rant. It was so unfair…

"So, you want to tell me that there isn't anyone who could go to Spain and drag that git's butt back home?" He glared at his wife and best friend accusingly, as if it had been their fault. Sirius looked just as dispirited as James was but Lily shrugged,

"Severus could…" At this point Harry, who'd been sitting quietly and letting the 'grown-ups' have their little fun, jumped up to his feet,

"No!" He cried, completely horrified by the idea that he would owe his happiness, once again, to Severus Snape of all people, "Nobody is sending bloody Snape to Spain! Look, guys, I appreciate that you're trying to help but I can handle this on my own." James and Sirius looked rebuked, knowing that they needed to back down and let Harry run his own life, but apparently the memo never reached Lily who cocked her head to one side and asked in a curious tone,

"How?" James groaned,

"Lily…" He started wearily but Lily brushed him off,

"No, I want to know how our son intends to 'handle this on his own'." She fixed Harry with one of her famous glares that left the receiver unable to run away,

"He's coming back…" Harry muttered, feeling like a complete idiot for caving in front of his mother.

"And what if he isn't?" Lily was pressing, "Remus didn't leave a week ahead of time because he was eager to finish business down there and hurry back to you. He left because he doesn't want anything to do with the baby! And unless you get rid of it, he's got no reason to come back at all!" Harry felt a lump forming in his throat. He hated to be confronted with his worst fear but Lily was right, nobody made any sort of guarantee that Remus was coming back, even after his four months in Spain were up.

"Are you planning on getting rid of the the baby?" Sirius asked in a low, dangerous voice that meant there was only one option for Harry to take. Harry shook his head, unable to formulate actual words, and Sirius relaxed, "Good."

"So, what's it going to be?" Lily pressed on, knowing that Harry was on the verge of exploding and wanting him to vent out his feeling instead of ignoring them and trying to pretend that everything was hunky-dory.

"You know what, mum? You're right. I don't know if Remus is coming back in four months," Harry snapped at her, finally losing the little patience he held onto, "Maybe he'll find himself a gorgeous Spanish man and decide to stay there forever, but what other choice have I got?"

"You have to talk to him!" Lily's voice rose without her even noticing, as did Harry's. Sirius and James looked at the exchange with fascinated eyes. They had never seen Harry and Lily like this before, not back then and not now, it was… a little scary…

"Guess what, Lily, I already did, but he won't listen! He's a stubborn git!"

"So, that's it?" Lily looked outraged at the face of Harry's defeat, this was unacceptable! "He's there, you're here, alone, and nothing is solved?" She shook her head and crossed her arms again, "No, I don't accept that!" Harry pushed himself away from the table, the chair cluttering loudly on the floor,

"Well, fuck you, Lily Potter, nobody asked for your bloody opinion!" Lily's jaw dropped in shock while Sirius and James were wide-eyed with fascination. They all looked at Harry who was gazing challengingly at his mother and panting heavily. The first to recover from his shock was Sirius who laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head,

"Ok… I think we all need to relax… Hey, how about we go to Diagon Alley and get Aaron his pigmy puff!" He cried out with false joviality trying to break the tension and hopefully stopping the eerie staring contest Harry and Lily were engaged in. Harry was the first to crack, averting his gaze to Sirius as if only noticing the man in his kitchen. Lifting the chair he'd dropped and sitting down heavily, he placed his head in his hands and refused to look at any of them,

"You guys go; I'm not in the mood." Sirius went over, placing a fortifying hand on his shoulder,

"Harry…" He coaxed him gently but the young brunette refused to lift his head,

"Sirius, please…" Harry pleaded through his fingers, he was so close to breaking down and the last thing he wanted was to do that in public, or even in front of his parents. Not after what he said to Lily… Gods, he couldn't even look up and meet her eyes…

"Alright." Sirius straightened up, watching the bewildered James and tight-lipped Lily and knowing he was going to have to take charge of the situation, "Come on guys, let's grab Aaron and go do some shopping." His eyes bore into those of his friends, telling them he would not hesitate to use force if necessary, and led the way to Aaron's room leaving Harry slumped in the kitchen to mope.

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**A/N:** I think I mentioned it at some point that ghosts can't travel over water. Apparently Sirius can't either…

But, he _can_ touch ghosts, because he's not entirely alive, he's stuck somewhere in between but he will die eventually, I have a whole theory about that, but I'm not going to bore you with it.


	38. Chapter 38

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Beta: The one and only, Dragon. **

**A/N: I've been a little sick lately, no no, nothing serious just a touch of the flu which means I'm stuck at home. It's been fun… Well, the first couple of days were ok, especially since I was feeling rather sick but now I'm just bored out of my mind, so I've been trying to squeeze in some writing, and watch 'Glee'… :-)**

**I'm not even sure why I'm telling you all this… Just have fun reading!**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Thirty-eight**

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Seamus was spat out of the fireplace into the living room of 'Rose cottage' with such force it left him disoriented for a moment. Once he got his bearings he went in search of his friend and wayward business partner.

Entering the kitchen Seamus was fully prepared to go ape on Harry's arse for not showing up for work when he saw the state his friend was in. Harry was staring at the wall, the blank look in his eyes clearly indicating he was not seeing what was in front of him and that his mind was miles away. At least that what Seamus concluded when he peeked at the wall and deduced there was nothing interesting about it whatsoever.

"You know, I don't mind you not showing up for work, but a phone call would have been nice…" Harry jumped up in surprise, knocking his elbow on the table in the process. He gave Seamus a confused stare while rubbing it, his mind trying to process what was going on.

"Right, yeah, I'm sorry, I meant to call…" He said quietly, his eyes turning to the tablecloth. Seamus frowned, what the hell was wrong with Harry?

"Yeah, whatever. Are you feeling alright mate?" Harry lifted his head, his eyes bleary again like he forgot Seamus was even there,

"Fine. I'm fine." Seamus sighed; clearly this was going to take some time. Making himself comfortable on the chair in front of Harry he fixed his friend with a glare that meant he was not satisfied with Harry's flippant answers.

"Yeah and I'm the Queen of England!" He raised a hand before Harry could say a word, reading the flash of evilness that crossed through the verdant eyes, "Not a word!" Harry shrugged,

"Too easy anyway…"

"So, is your stomach still bugging you? Have you been to see Hermione?" Harry snorted softly and shook his head,

"Gods, you sound just like Remus." He snapped, regretting his words at once, talking about Remus only helped to cement the fact that the man was gone. Perhaps for good. Harry took a deep breath; he wasn't going to think about that right now!

"Well, _are_ you feeling alright? You could take a couple of days off if you need, but you really should check it out." Seamus insisted, it had been nearly a month of Harry's odd behavior and frankly, he was getting quite worried,

"I did go to see Hermione." Harry said quietly,

"Oh, no… it's bad isn't it? You're dying?" Seamus took a deep breath, succumbing to his inner drama queen, "Oh, Merlin, you are! You're dying and you're leaving me all alone!" He stopped to shake his finger in Harry's face, "This is extremely selfish of you, you know! I can't train a new partner now… No! You are not allowed to die, you hear me?" Harry bit his lip trying not to laugh. If this had have been anyone else he'd be dead pissed at them, but this was Seamus, and this was what passed as deep and sincere concern for him.

"Relax, I'm not dying. Quite the opposite, in fact." Seamus opened his mouth to comment but closed it with a snap. Harry counted under his breath, knowing the man couldn't keep quiet for long, and indeed,

"Opposite of dying? What's the opposite of dying?" He wondered out loud before his eyes opened wide, "Oh, man, cloning? Harry, come on mate, _cloning_? I mean it could be fun for a while, you go to one party and your doppelganger goes to another but you know, these things never work out in the long run…" Harry rubbed his temple. Sometime cruising around Seamus' brain could be a very scary place…

"I'm not cloning, you idiot! I'm pregnant." Seamus gave a theatrical sigh of relief,

"Oh, good for a moment there I thought this was going to be something weird…" For a long moment the two sat in silence. Seamus was trying to digest the information without actually thinking of the details because everyone who knew Harry and Hermione knew of Hermione's little theory and no one, especially Harry and Remus, liked to think about the particulars. "Does… Does Remus know?" Seamus finally asked, tentatively,

"Yes, he does." Harry answered flatly in a voice that made it very clear it was not a joyous acceptation on Remus' part. "He left for Spain." He tried to be nonchalant about it, he really did but it came out like a soft sob. Harry took a moment to pull himself together, knowing that it wasn't yet time to break down. Seamus gave him the time he needed, sitting silently and not pressing his friend. Inside he was seething though. Clenching his jaw he tried to smile tightly at Harry to show support but Harry sighed, "Don't bother, Sirius and my parents were already here giving me grief about it." Seamus released his breath loudly,

"I hope they're heading to Spain right now to give some of it to Remus." He said bitterly and Harry gave out a shaky laugh,

"They're actually in Diagon Alley getting Aaron a pigmy puff." Biting on his lip he took a deep breath and added, "And I had the most horrible fight with Lily, I yelled at her…" Harry suddenly felt like his windpipe was closing down painfully. Oh, the things he said to Lily… His own mother! And his friend too! Panic was starting to claw its way up his chest, making him dizzy and hyperventilating. Seamus could recognize the signs, it wasn't Harry's first panic attack after all, and he leaped into action grabbing the other man by the shoulders forcing Harry to look him in the eye and breathing slowly and deliberately. Harry followed, trying to copy Seamus' pattern of breathing.

"Harry, it's ok. Everyone gets snippy with their mothers. It's the law of nature. Sure, most of us been in that stage as teenagers but hey- the hormones defense works here just as well." Seamus tried to laugh it off, but really, that was scary! He didn't really expect Harry to fall apart like that just for having a stupid argument with Lily… Gods, if this was what he'd have to endure for the next nine months… He'll port-key down to Spain himself and howl Remus' arse back kicking and screaming! Patting Harry's hand gently the Irishman rose from his seat and turned towards the cupboards, "How about I make you a nice cup of tea." Harry shrugged,

"Not every problem can be fixed with a cup of tea, you know." Seamus turned around, his hand over his heart in a dramatic gesture,

"Harry James Potter Lupin! What sort of an Englishman are you?" Harry let out a small chuckle. He was so glad it was Seamus in his kitchen at the moment and not Hermione, for example. He needed the breeziness and care-free approach of his fellow Gryffindor rather than lectures and pity. Seamus turned to the counter again, and his eyes fell upon the bottle of firewhiskey Sirius had uncovered,

"Harry?" The joyful bantering voice from before was replaced instantly with a sharp edge, "What's this?" Harry turned his head slowly, and nearly chuckled again just by seeing Seamus' face. Obviously his friend was under the impression that Harry was planning on drinking himself into a stupor.

"Sirius got it out to celebrate the new baby." He answered with a shrug. Seamus' shoulders sagged in relief and he banished the bottle back to its shelf with a flick of his wand and started making tea. Placing a steaming mug in front of Harry he sat himself on the opposite chair, nursing a mug of his own.

"So…" He started hesitantly, gods, he was rubbish at this sort of thing. Seamus was the 'fun guy' the person people came to when they needed to laugh. He wasn't supposed to be the kind of person to offer practical advices and wisdom to his friends…

"So?" Harry shrugged; he wasn't too comfortable with the change of mood either. And he really didn't feel like talking about any of this. All the feelings were jumbled up inside him, everything was still so raw and new- he needed to think, wait, no! The last thing he wanted was to think, thinking would lead to acknowledging the fact that he was going to be a single dad… Oh, Merlin… "I can't stay here." He breathed out, his chest constricting again,

"Oh, ok." Seamus was pulled from his own musing, "Wanna go to the park or something?" Harry shook his head,

"No, I mean I can't stay here, in this house. I don't want to be here alone." Just thinking of spending the next four to infinity months alone in the bed he used to share with Remus was making his eyes sting with tears.

"You and Aaron are more than welcome to come and stay with me." Seamus could see Harry's distress at the thought of staying alone in 'Rose Cottage', "You could share the spare bedroom or one of you could bunk with me. It's going to be a little crowded but, you know, cozy…" Harry smiled,

"Thank you…" He breathed out in awe, he was touched, really touched that Seamus was offering his flat to them, for an unlimited time period, especially since he knew how small the place was and Seamus was in a relationship too. "But, I was thinking more in the lines of moving into Malfoy Manor…" Seamus contemplated the idea,

"Hmm, yes, I can see the sense in that; I mean you could probably kip there for months at the time without Draco even knowing you're there."

"My thoughts exactly!" The two friends raised their tea cups, saluting each other. Harry took a small sip of his cup, his good mood draining away once more. Seamus looked at him, bereft of additional good advices.

"How about we get cracking then." He said briskly, rising from his seat. Harry gave him a frightened look and Seamus realized that while Harry didn't have any desire to stay in 'Rose Cottage' alone he didn't want to move out either. But Seamus wasn't about to let his friend discover what it was like spending the night alone in the bed he shared with his husband. "Tell you what, why don't you go to Aaron's room and start packing up his toys and clothes while I go over to yours and pack whatever I find there, ok?" Harry chewed on his lip for a moment, but couldn't find an objection to the plan. Slowly he rose to his feet, heading towards Aaron's room with Seamus' hand on his shoulder. He really didn't want to do that… But the alternative was even worse. He had no choice.

Looking around Aaron's room nearly broke Harry's heart. He remembered the day Aaron moved in, how excited the little boy was at painting and furnishing his own room. Decidedly he pushed those feelings back, hardening himself to any emotions and started the mind numbing task of sending Aaron's clothes and toys into the open trunk he laid on the floor.

Twenty minutes later Seamus stepped into the boy's room, humming softly under his breath. Gods, he loved magic! The whole packing process would have taken him about a day or two had it not been for the wonders of flick and swish. He found Harry sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed with Piggy clutched in his hands, staring. Seamus would have said something if there wasn't a trunk on the floor spilling over with clothes and toys. Swishing his wand once more he stuffed all the contents back into the trunk and closed it, shrinking it to fit in his pocket along with the two he'd collected in Harry's room.

"Come on, Harry. I've already contacted Draco; he's waiting for us at the Manor." Harry lifted his head slowly; this was real then, wasn't it? He was really moving out… "I also contacted Sirius," Seamus continued prattling as he led the slightly stunned Harry to the living room fireplace, "And he said they were going to grab some ice-cream and then bring Aaron over to the Manor too." Harry nodded dumbly, not even bothering to get upset about Aaron having ice-cream before dinner. Seamus had a short debate with himself as to which of them should go first, on one hand, knowing Harry's tendency of clumsiness it was advisable he'd go first and catch the brunette on the other end, but then again, if Seamus went first, who could guarantee that Harry would actually follow and not succumb to his remorse and decide to stay and haunt his own house waiting for Remus' return? Eventually he decided to alert Draco to their arrival and have the blond catching Harry while he brought up the rear.

Upon straightening himself up, Seamus gazed around him and as always was taken aback by the opulence of the room he found himself in. The Malfoy family was rich, one of the richest wizarding families in England (the richest, if you believed Draco), and it showed in every last detail of their house. But what's more, they had taste and put together they created a Manor that was breath taking in its beauty, but scarcely a home in Seamus' eyes.

"So, I'm the last to know then." The blond aristocrat stood in front of the two bakers with his arms crossed and the haughtiest Malfoy expression on his face. Harry and Seamus exchanged a quick look and Harry raked his hand in his hair in discomfort,

"Well… I… It's not like…" He stammered and Seamus rolled his eyes, even after so many years Draco could baffle Harry so easily, it was almost pathetic.

"Snape doesn't know." He said with a shrug, knowing the only way to deal with the blond is to make him feel more important than he really was. Rich folk were weird like that… Harry nodded with a half smile and Draco narrowed his eyes at them, deliberating whether to take their offer or not, eventually he sighed, he didn't have much choice, now did he?

"Well, I suppose that's alright then." He declared and Harry sagged inwardly with relief, the last thing he needed was dealing with the hurt feelings of Draco Malfoy on top of everything that was going on. "Does Aaron know?" Harry tried to smile,

"Yes, but he doesn't believe me." Draco smirked,

"Smart kid." He started leading the way towards the grand staircase that Seamus always harbored a secret desire to slide down its banisters. They were just so polished and smooth and wide, it will be like sliding down a snowy hill on a sledge, without the added 'bonus' of getting all wet. "I've had the East Wing prepared for your usage." Draco continued as he led the two others through the maze of halls and corridors. Harry, who was having a bit of a hard time closing his mouth from the shock of the place, suddenly snapped out of it,

"Geez, Draco, we only need a room not an entire bloody Wing…" He muttered. Catching Draco's eye he grinned sheepishly, "I mean… Thank you!" Draco lifted his pointy nose slightly and continued to lead the two away, Seamus with a barely suppress grin and Harry with flushing cheeks.

"Here we are!" Draco announced as he pushed open a pair of huge double doors made of what looked like good several inches of solid oak. Harry walked into the room and his eyes nearly dropped out of his head, the room he entered was about the size of his entire cottage! Not to mention that the entire contents of 'Rose Cottage' were not worth as much as one of the sofas in the room.

"Draco… That's…" Draco couldn't hide the smug grin on his face, he couldn't help it, he loved boasting in his ancestral home. He truly did not understand why Hermione was squeamish about living here.

"I understand Harry. Don't worry; I'll be in the North Wing, in case you need something." Seamus snorted inwardly, bloody hell, this house should have come with a mini train installed just to get from one room to another! "This is going to be great!" Draco gushed, "Just the three of us, having great fun!" The two men caught each other's eye and their smiles slipped away, reminding them of what they have lost.

"Just the three of us…" Harry agreed with a sigh, oh boy; this was going to be fun… Seamus tossed his arms around the two of them, desperate to try and lift up the mood- Gods, if it'll be just them in the house for four months, they could file the papers to recognize Malfoy Manor as a haunted place right now!

"Brilliant! It's like the lonely heart manor. You guys should form a band!" Harry snickered softly,

"What like 'St. Pepper's lonely heart club band'?" Seamus beamed at him but Draco's face scrunched up in distaste,

"Gods, no! That's a terrible name for a band!" He declared. Seamus and Harry exchanged a look that spelled 'Those pure-bloods…' which fortunately went unnoticed by the blond snob,

"Alright children, I have to get back, so you two play nice and don't break anything, ok?" Seamus clapped both his friends back and walked towards the door. Harry and Draco watched as he stood in the doorway glancing about him and frowning before he pulled out his wand to perform a 'point me' spell to guide him outside.

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Harry was nearing his wit's end. Aaron refused to go to sleep. All Harry wanted was to crawl into his own bed and wallow in self-pity for weeks, but Aaron was uncomfortable in this new and too big bed and he wanted to go home. Why couldn't they go home? Besides, what if daddy came back and they weren't there?

"Aaron, Cana, please go to sleep…" Harry practically begged, it had been a harrowing day for him and all he wanted was to shut himself from the world and pretend none of this has happened.

"Can I come and sleep with you?" Aaron asked in a timid voice, still not completely comfortable asking his parents that. Harry leaned in and planted a soft kiss on the boy's forehead.

"Of course you can, Cana." Aaron smiled wide, and started climbing out of the bed,

"Can Jonah and Anton come too?" Harry shook his head with a smile. Anton was Aaron's new pigmy puff. A name, which no doubt, was chosen by Lily.

"No, Anton and Jonah are staying here, and you can see them first thing in the morning, alright?" Aaron pouted for about two seconds but when he saw the determined look on Harry's face he nodded meekly, holding out his arms to be lifted. Harry obliged and carried his sleepy son to his own bed.

Hours after Aaron had finally succumbed to sleep Harry still lay awake, hugging his son tight and staring at the ceiling. Silent tears were sliding down his cheeks and his hand covering his mouth to silence the sobs.

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**A/N:** Poor Harry…

Anton is my flash disc, just thought you'd like to know…


	39. Chapter 39

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Beta: You know it- it's THE DRAGOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!**

**A/N: To PadyandMoony who wanted to know what happened to Draco's parents- his father died in Azkaban a while ago, making him the official Lord Malfoy, and his mother moved to the family's villa in the south of France where she found herself a gorgeous French boytoy to keep her happy. Draco hops over the channel to visit her sometimes. **

**Dom- How can I hook Harry up with Severus if Remus decides not to come back? I bet you Tonks will have a thing or two to say in the matter…**

**As always, your reviews upgraded my day to a whole new level of greatness. Thank you. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Thirty-nine**

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The next morning Harry woke up with a killer headache and a puffy face from all the crying. He tried his best to hide this from Aaron but he knew the boy sensed there was something amiss. Luckily Draco was there to distract Aaron with open enthusiasm at the boy's presence. Harry had decided upon waking that he'd go see Lily right after breakfast. With everything else that was going on he needed to get at least this stone off his chest.

Once Draco took Aaron to his lesson with Snape, Harry prepared to depart for the cemetery. The truth was, he was scared of what Lily might say, or worst, if she decided to ignore him completely, and so he stalled as long as he could. Standing in front of the mirror in his new room he took a deep breath and stared at himself reproachfully for not making any move towards the door.

"Are you having a staring contest with yourself? Who's winning?" Harry nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his mother's voice. With a rather girlish yelp he turned around glaring wide eyed at the ghost who was standing in front of him.

"I was just on my way to see you…" He managed to mumble, "What are you doing here?" Lily shrugged,

"I know how much you hate apparating, and cemeteries, I thought I'd save you the trouble." Harry felt his throat closing; this was such a sweet gesture on Lily's part… He smoothed the front of his robes self-consciously, trying to regain his composure. Lily floated to the window, looking outside and sighing, "Your father was gracious enough to inform me that I can be insufferable and pushy at times and that I had no right to butt in and tell you what to do with your own husband." She said primly, still not looking at Harry. Harry smiled slightly, he could just imagine his parents having this discussion and he was pretty sure that insufferable and pushy were among the kinder terms James used.

"Anyway," Lily continued, as she finally turned away from the window and fixed Harry with a look that was a mix of pleading and glaring, "I want to apologize. I shouldn't have pushed on the issue, because I know this isn't your fault. I was upset with Remus' behavior and took it out on you and I shouldn't have." Harry sat heavily on the bed. Wow, things must be a real mess between him and Remus if Lily was backing down this easily. It was nice having his mum in his corner, yeah, but if she was willing to come and apologize to him without making him sweat for it first, that meant she felt sorry for him and she probably didn't think that Remus was coming back.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you too." He muttered, staring at his hands and trying to get his emotions under control. Lily floated over and sat next to him, desperately wanting to pull him into her arms but refraining from fear of sending him into a freeze shock.

"It'll be alright, Izzy, you'll see." Harry gave out a dismissive snort of laughter,

"You don't believe it yourself do you?" He turned his head to fix his mother with a glare, "You don't believe that Remus is ever coming back." Lily sighed, looking down at her hands,

"I desperately want to believe he will, because if he doesn't I swear to you I'll haunt him for the rest of his natural born life. Nobody treats my baby this way!" Harry let out a shaky sob before he could stop himself.

"Thanks." The two shared a teary smile before Lily rose from the bed and floated to the center of the room, looking curiously around her,

"So, this is where you've be hiding?" Harry shook his head to himself,

"I'm not hiding." He corrected his mother, "I'm… staying here for a while. Aaron and I got a wing to ourselves." Harry valiantly tried to smile but Lily looked far from impressed. Eventually he sagged and crawled over to the headboard leaning against it, bringing his knees up to his chest and hugged himself tightly. "I miss him." He whispered. Lily floated back towards her son and sat herself cross legged in mid air, a couple of inches above the mattress.

"I know dearheart." Harry lifted teary eyes at his mother,

"He's only been gone for two days…" Lily shrugged,

"So? It doesn't matter how long he's been gone." Lily's eyes wore a nostalgic expression, "Why I remember that whenever your father would go home to visit his parents, even if it was for just a day or two, I was always worried they might somehow manage to keep him from coming back to me…" Harry opened his mouth to tell his mother that that was hardly the same as with him and Remus but eventually decided against it. Besides, it was so rarely that he ever got to hear about any of his grandparents, he might as well take advantage.

"You didn't get along with dad's parents?" He asked cautiously, as if he was afraid Lily was about to blow a fit over the subject. But instead of exploding and screaming her head off on the matter his mother simply gave out a derisive snort,

"Gods no! They hated the very idea of me! I was a filthy mudblood who came and tried to steal their precious heir's heart- and according to them, money. I've never even met the bastards." Oddly enough Lily looked quite pleased with the fact. She placed her elbow on her bent knee and palmed her chin, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling, "They did adore Sirius though. I bet if he were a girl they'd have found a way to make him marry James." Harry pulled a pillow to his lap and started fiddling with the pillowcase,

"But dad wasn't like that, right? He didn't really care if you were a full blood or not…" Lily shrugged,

"He was at first. In fact, it wasn't until Sirius left his home that James realized that pure-bloods were a bunch of wankers. Of course he was completely in love with me from the second he met me, but it was only in our sixth year that he came to the conclusion he didn't give a damn what his parents wanted and that was when he started wooing me in that awfully idiotic way of his." Harry couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of his father's blunders when it came to his mum. Poor Prongs… But damn that had been funny watching.

"I'm glad he came to his senses, otherwise I wouldn't be here." Lily gave her son a bright smile,

"Yes, and what a lovely surprise you were." The smile suddenly slipped off of Harry's face,

"Surprise? What exactly do you mean by surprise?" Lily shrugged,

"Well, no one really plans for this sort of thing, especially not at the age your father and I were at the time…" Harry pushed the pillow from his lap, raising to his knees and glaring at Lily who smiled serenely back at him,

"Oh, great!" He snapped, "You want to tell me that I was born simply because you and dad were randy and stupid enough to forget about protection?" Lily looked far from impressed by her son's fuming. She smoothed the front of her robes without looking at Harry,

"I could say the same thing about your baby…" Harry's jaw dropped in shock. He couldn't believe! The nerve… The… Gods, he hated when Lily was right! Slumping back onto the bed he re-grabbed the pillow and averted his eyes to sulk in peace while Lily was preening.

"You're evil!" He muttered and Lily clapped her hands joyfully, rising from her position to twirl towards the ceiling laughing. Harry shook his head; as much as she annoyed him and drove him mad he couldn't help but adore the woman. Once Lily calmed down from her triumphant dance she floated back down to sit next to her son once more. Harry sighed, deeply,

"Why can't anything go my way for once?" He asked miserably, "All I ever wanted was a family of my own, and now…" He took a deep breath and tried to swallow back the sting of tears, "Now I have to choose whether I lose my husband or my baby! That's just not fair!" Lily bit her lip, trying to figure out what she could say to ease her son's pain. Though there was nothing she could have done to change Harry's childhood, she still felt guilty that he had to grow up in that awful house with people that were supposed to be family.

"I don't think you do dearheart. I don't think you have to choose."

"Oh, really?" Harry spat out, angry at his own hormones for betraying him and bringing tears to his eyes every time he thought of Remus, "Because the fact that I'm here and he's there means exactly that!" Lily reached out her hand to touch Harry's hair softly but retracted it at the last second, cursing her ghostly nature,

"Baby…"

"I can't mum, I can't choose… I can't believe Remus is making me do this…" Harry sniffed tearfully suddenly quite angry with Remus for putting him in this position. The swirl of emotions that he was trying so hard to suppress the night before came bubbling to the surface and spilled over like a broken dam. Lily felt her own eyes sting and pearly tears rolling down her cheeks, she so much wanted to hold her son and comfort him but couldn't, it was heartbreaking for a mother.

"Oh, sweets," She sniffed and wiped her eyes, "You don't have to choose; you just need to give Remus time to process things." Harry so desperately wanted to believe his mother, he really did, but what if he let his heart believe and Remus wouldn't come back? He wouldn't be able to deal with a blow like that. He just couldn't. "It was like the time you left after our seventh year…" Harry, who almost let himself believe in Lily's words, bristled again,

"What?" He practically squeaked, "He told me he used drugs and fucked around!" Lily gave herself a mental smack on the forehead for her blunder, just when she thought she was on the safe track to calming her son…

"Ok, obviously not _exactly_ like that… What I meant was, Remus is a rational man, he'll fume and fuss for a while and then his common sense and reason will kick in and he'll come to realize this is the best thing that ever happened to him." Lily smiled bravely at her son, hoping beyond hope to stop the waterworks and mood swings- gods, here's something she did not miss about being pregnant or being around pregnant people…

"Really?" Harry pouted slightly, and Lily knew they were out of the danger zone, she smiled wide,

"Of course, Harry, you are the best thing in Remus' life, he loves you more than life itself. Believe me, I've seen how bad he was hurt when you left back then." Harry let himself smile just a little; it was good to hear he had some sort of hold on Remus' heart, "I just wouldn't expect him before Christmas."

"Why?"

"Well, you know Remus; once he takes on a job he'll go through with it to the bitter end…" Harry sighed, yeah, that was true. Remus was nothing if not dedicated to the missions he took upon himself, which was a big part of what Harry loved so much about the man. But right now he just wanted his husband here and close.

"I guess. Thanks mum; I really appreciate the talk…" Lily beamed at him in the most motherly fashion and floated off the bed and stretched herself in the middle of the room.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have… a pressing matter to attend to." She said with a naughty gleam in her eye and Harry somehow instantly knew what she was up to,

"You're going over to the Dursleys, aren't you?" Lily narrowed her eyes and pressed her fingertips together, in a menacing fashion,

"I think it's about time Tuny and I have a little chat…" Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she started bouncing on the spot, "Ooh, I could give quite a scare to those lumps of lard she calls a family!" She started drift towards the wall, thinking aloud, "I better get James; he'll kill me if he misses out on this one." Pausing she turned to look at Harry, "No pun intended, of course." She said with a wink and sailed out inspired by Harry's hearty laughter.

After Lily left Harry stayed on the bed a while longer, thinking about all that they've talked about. He was glad she dropped by, cleared things for him and most importantly- gave him hope that things would sort themselves out for the best in the end.

Full of renewed energy he jumped out of the bed and headed to the fireplace. He felt like baking.

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**A/N:** Lily and James went to give the Dursley's hell, and fun as it was, neither of them forgave them for how they treated Harry.


	40. Chapter 40

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Warning:** Ginny bashing. I know, I know, you all hate her anyway, but on the off chance that there is a person out there who actually likes her- be warned.

**Beta:** The one and only. Dragon.

I'm really really sorry I'm being so lazy with posting, and writing… Don't lose your faith in me, please.

**Mini-Moony- chapter Forty**

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Life, Harry discovered, was the best distraction for not pondering over his miserable state. It'd been a week since he and Aaron had moved into Malfoy Manor and they soon settled into the rhythm of the house. Aaron for one, absolutely adored the house elves, and would follow them around asking all sorts of questions and trying to help them out whenever he could. At first the poor creatures were completely baffled as to what to do with a child. The only experience they ever had with children before was Draco and he most definitely wasn't a regular child. But they soon took a shine to Aaron and were ever so delighted whenever they got to spend time with him. Harry thought it particularly comical seeing the elves led by Tooki- the head house elf, marching by, arms laden with laundry while his son stepped in line carrying the pillowcases.

The only problem, so far, was that Aaron flat out refused to sleep in the room he'd been given, claiming the space was too big and the shadows were too many. For the first couple of nights he gave out a valiant fight whenever sleeping time came round. Eventually Harry was the one to cave in after the third night in a row his son showed up at his door, scuffing his toes on the rug and clutching Piggy to him. Letting Aaron sleep in his bed turned out to be a very good thing for both parties, as they drew comfort from each other in the big room.

That Monday Harry returned from the shop, feeling quite agitated. Lately having people around was getting on his nerves. So much so in fact that Seamus had banished him to the kitchen after he chased away a couple of young girls in tears. Harry didn't mind really, it was all for the best, he couldn't stand the inane chattering of folk coming into the shop, ignorant of his pain and misery. As soon as he reached home he settled in one of the huge libraries, grabbing a book and ordering tea from one of the elves who also let him know that Aaron was gracious enough to help them make dinner.

For nearly an hour Harry let himself be absorbed in his book and forget about the outside world. He felt himself slowly relaxing, letting the memories of the day wash away from him. He only wished he could substitute the tea with something stronger to hurry up the process.

"Master Harry!" Harry jumped slightly; startled from the doze he sank into, his teacup flying from his hand to crash on the floor. The house elf squeaked in fear and her eyes filled with tears as she bent to collect the broken china, "Maisy is so so sorry Master Harry, please forgive Maisy, she did not means to startle Master…" The little creature babbled as she collected the shards of china with trembling hands. Harry rubbed his forehead tiredly, trying to gather his wits about him,

"It's quite alright, Maisy, don't worry, I can repair this in a jiffy." Pulling his wand from his pocket he cast a 'rapero' sending the repaired teacup into the elf's hands. Maisy lowered her head, looking like she wanted to shrink into the floor, and Harry sighed deep, he hated causing distress to the house elves, the sorry creatures were so easy to panic and try to harm themselves, besides, it felt like kicking a puppy. "What did you want?" The miserable elf looked momentarily stunned as if forgetting her original mission, before she bowed deeply,

"There is a visitor for yous Master, at the front door." Harry frowned, who the hell was coming over here to visit _him_? The people who knew where he and Aaron were, were more likely to stride into the library and make themselves at home rather than wait for him at the door. This was most curious indeed,

"Who is it?" Maisy looked uncomfortable,

"It's a Missy sir; she looks like yours friend Master George." Harry's eyes bugged a little, Ginny? Ginny Weasley was here? Why on earth? Stretching his limbs and rubbing the back of his neck Harry decided there was nothing for it, he'd go see Ginny. Besides, he was curious as to why the girl chose this time to reappear in his life, after not seeing her or hearing a word from her in... A while... Harry couldn't even remember when the last time he had spoken to Ginny was.

"Thank you Maisy, I'll go see her." Maisy bowed deep again, her nose brushing the carpet and waited for Harry to leave the room. At the door of the library Harry turned back to the house-elf, as if he just remembered something, "Oh, and Maisy, you are not allowed, under any circumstance to harm yourself, you hear me?" The elf looked torn between relief and disappointment, but nodded her head all the same. Harry closed the library door after him, shaking his head fondly at the quirks of house elves and made his way to the main door.

In the foyer stood indeed none other than Ginny Weasley, dressed smartly in a set of fashionably low cut robes in deep maroon and looking about her curiously. Once she heard someone else she pulled herself together and turned to see who it was. When she saw Harry she plastered on the most brilliant smile, sweeping over towards him,

"Harry, love, it's so good to see you!" She simpered, gushing like they were best friends. Harry smiled tightly at her,

"Ginny, what are you doing here?" Ginny rolled her eyes good naturedly

"Oh, Harry..." She waved her hand at him, "I'm here to see you silly of course, I've heard about Remus leaving you, I'm so sorry..." Harry's innards tightened at hearing Remus' name, especially from her mouth,

"Remus didn't leave me!" He snapped, crossed that she would even make this allegation, "He's gone to Spain to do your father's bidding!"

"Of course he has..." She said in a soothing voice, that made Harry bristle even more,

"How did you know I was here?" Ginny waved her hand around dismissively,

"Oh, please." Looking about her at the opulence of the room and seemingly ignoring Harry, "I'm here to support you, now that you're all alone. Here," She said as she pulled a box from the folds of her robes, "I've brought you some home-made cookies to cheer you up." Harry stared at her in shock,

"You brought _me_ cookies..." He intoned slowly, unbelievable, simply unbelievable! And the worst part was, Ginny didn't seem to grasp the mistake she made!

"Yeah, I figured you'd like something homey and comforting after all that industrial swill you're surrounded with all day long." Harry wasn't sure whether to laugh or hit her. Was she really and honestly standing in front of him, and calling his shop 'industrial swill'!?! Not only was his shop voted one of the best rising businesses, according to the 'Daily Prophet' business section but it also got a Magical Michelin star! After only four months since opening! And that… that… retched red-head has the audacity to stand in front of him and call his baking 'industrial swill'?!?!

"Thank you." He gritted through clenched teeth, almost snatching the box away from her. "It was very nice of you to drop by, now if you'll excuse me…" Ginny reached out her hand to stop him from turning,

"Wait! Aren't you going to invite me over for tea? Have a cookie?" She asked suggestively, pointing her chin at the box Harry was holding,

"I'm sorry, Ginny; this isn't my home to invite people in." He knew that if he wished Draco wouldn't mind one bit if he did invite people over for tea but the fact he was still holding the insulting cookie box was hardening his heart. "Besides, I have to go make sure Aaron hasn't caused the house elves to burn dinner."

"Who?"

"Aaron, my son." Harry replied flatly. A slightly disgusted expression flittered over Ginny's features for a second before she recomposed them into a bright smile,

"Oh, that's too bad. Some other time, perhaps." Harry nodded tightly, vowing to himself that it'd be a cold day in hell before he sat down to tea with Ginny and her cookies. Escorting the young woman to the door he managed to get her out of the house without losing what little was left of his calm. As soon as the heavy door closed behind Ginny's back Harry pressed his forehead to the cool wood, feeling the beginning of a vicious headache tugging at his temples.

"I knew I should have changed the wards to repel _all_ Weasleys…" Harry jumped up in surprise and turned to see the blond lord of the manor leaning against a pillar with a trademark Malfoy smirk on his lips. Harry nearly rolled his eyes,

"Draco, how long have you been standing here, eavesdropping on a personal conversation?" Draco shrugged as he pushed himself from the pillar and walked towards Harry,

"The house elves informed me there was a stranger in the house, so I came to investigate. She's really daft isn't she?" He pointed at the box of cookies in Harry's hand, and the brunet tried to hide his smile,

"A little, yeah."

"Are you going to eat those?" Draco asked curiously, because even though the mere presence of the cookies had been an insult, Harry was too Gryffindor Noble to reject them,

"Hell, no!" Harry exclaimed, shocked by the very idea, "Everyone knows Ginny can't cook for shit, this stuff will make Hagrid's rock cakes edible!"

"I bet this stuff will make a whole more than that." Draco mused to himself. Harry frowned,

"What do you mean?" Draco sighed and rolled his eyes, cursing his luck of having to deal with thick headed Gryffindors,

"I bet you my entire estate that these cookies are not as innocent as they seem." Harry's jaw dropped,

"You think she poisoned the cookies? Why would Ginny do that?" Harry was genuinely shocked. Yes, Ginny was really weird sometimes and yes her cooking was probably poisonous, but that wasn't intentional- she was just total rubbish at that sort of thing!

"No, I don't mean she's trying to poison you, I think she laced these 'so called cookies' with a love potion." Draco explained calmly and Harry snorted,

"What? Have you gone round the bend?" Draco's expression didn't waver but Harry still refused to believe that his friend was saying what he thought he was saying, "That is completely ridiculous! Why would Ginny want to put a love potion in her cookies?" Draco raised his eyebrow in an expression that said that Harry should have known the answer to that himself, but Harry gave him a blank look, and Draco wasn't sure if the burnet was playing dumb on purpose or he was really that thick. Either way, he had no choice but to spell it out for Harry,

"She's still in love with you, you oaf, and I believe she's crazy enough to try this now that Remus is seemingly out of the picture." Harry was truly shocked; he couldn't believe what Draco was saying. Ginny wasn't in love with him, was she?

"That's absurd, Draco, Ginny Weasley cannot be in love with me…" He tried his best to snort out in derision but the set look on Draco's face had him faltering a little,

"Very well," Draco said, crossing his arms over his chest, "Let's view the facts. Fact A- The Weaslette showing up here, as soon as Remus has left, carrying cookies." Harry shrugged,

"So? That doesn't mean anything; maybe she's just trying to be my friend again." Draco sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly, Merlin save me from stupid Gryffindors he prayed silently,

"Ginny Weasley was never your friend Harry. The woman called you a toad in front of the entire school for heaven's sake!" Now it was Harry's turn to roll his eyes,

"She didn't call me a toad! She said my eyes looked like one… freshly pickled. I thought it was cute."

"No you didn't! You were mortified!" Harry sighed, Draco was right, he couldn't really deny that Ginny's poem was beyond embarrassing, but still,

"She was only trying to be friendly. Besides, we were kids back then." Draco racked his hand through his hair, was Harry laying it on thick on purpose?

"Ok, I'll let you keep your little fantasy because you didn't grow up in the magical world and you don't really know what it was like growing up when we did." Harry rolled his eyes, was this going to be one of those 'You grew up with muggles and have no idea about real wizards affairs' kind of talks? "Our generation grew up worshiping your name," Draco began as he led the way towards the stairs. Harry followed and sat down next to his friend on the bottom stair, balancing the cookie box on his knees, without even thinking about it. "Pretty much every girl dreamt of being 'Mrs. Harry Potter' and let me tell you, your little 'friend' was no different. It really didn't matter what you were really like, in their minds you were perfect." Harry blushed a little at that, he hated having to discuss his looks and charms, and he really hated when people were ogling him or looking at him with awe just because he was 'The Great Harry Potter'. In a way he could understand what Draco was talking about, but it was still difficult to accept that someone he thought of as a sister and family was nothing more than one of the 'adoring masses'.

"What set the Weaslette apart from the rest was the fact that you, foolishly enough, decided to become her brother's best friend. So while other girls could only dream on of fancy galas and dresses where they'd be presented hanging on your arm and basking in your glory, she had met the real you and could indulge her fantasies even further." Harry opened his mouth to protest but Draco raised his finger, "From the second she saw you she wanted you. You can't deny that!" Harry huffed, no; he couldn't very well deny that.

"So what? So Ginny was a little star struck at the time, that doesn't prove anything!" Draco rolled his eyes, why was Harry being so thick? Alright, yes, there was that whole thing about Harry's ideas of a proper family crashing down if he admitted that Ginny was nothing more than a gold-digging-fame-seeking cunt but come on! If the Weasley's had been anything but, Harry wouldn't have been staying in Malfoy Manor but sitting in the shabby kitchen of The Burrow wailing to Molly Weasley about Remus leaving him! Gryffindors were really pants at laying their loyalties correctly.

"Ok, let's assume she moved past that stage to become a real and true friend to you." Draco tried to hide the sarcasm but it was seeping out all the same, Harry was doing a valiant job at ignoring it. "When was the last time you spoke to her?" The question clearly caught Harry by surprise. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, frowning slightly as he tried to come up with an answer.

"I… it was…" Draco sighed,

"I'll tell you when it was. Just before your wedding." Harry looked unconvinced but unable to disprove Draco's words so he piped down. Draco allowed a smug expression for a brief moment, glad that once more his arguments were bang on. Harry should really learn by now not to argue with an arguer!

"Wait a second!" Harry suddenly cried, causing Draco to jump a little, "If what you say is true and Ginny only wanted me to marry her, why on earth was she following Remus and me all the time we were stuck in Grimauld Place, trying to get us to snog and make out?" He turned a triumphant smirk at Draco, who true to his Malfoy heritage didn't let anything show on his face, though the gears in his brain were working over time trying to fit this little piece of information into his theory.

"I expect she let out her inner fangirl," He said with a shrug, "But the fact still remains she hasn't spoken a word to you since your wedding, and now that Remus is no longer around she comes back." Lifting his hand to stop Harry from saying a word Draco mentally prepared himself for his closing argument, "Look, Ginny Weasley may have been a friend at one point, but as soon as she realized you were never going to be hers she shunned you out. Now, you may not know that, but she has recently moved back in with her parents."

"Really? How do you know that?" Harry asked curiously, of course he didn't know that, he wasn't speaking with practically the entire family, save George who in turn wasn't very welcome in his childhood home either.

"Hermione." Draco answered flippantly, "You see, Ginny decided that in order to upgrade her station in life she needed to be in the center of events, and hopefully snag herself a husband that was rich enough and dumb enough. She hired herself a ridiculously expensive pad in the heard of London's Soho which apparently is both the muggle and magical 'hot spot' at the moment and tried to live out the glorious life of the rich and famous. Unfortunately the salary of a matron in Hogwarts barely covers half of what she had planned and naturally her parents couldn't support her, so with her tail tucked between her legs she had to go back home to live with her mother dear. And I don't have to tell you what sort of rubbish a woman like Molly Weasley will fill her young daughter's head with…" Draco finished with a meaningful look at the cookie box that was still sitting on Harry's knees. Harry, however, was deep in thought and wasn't even looking at Draco's direction,

"You think this is Molly's fault?" Draco sighed; did he just waste a half hour explaining things? Was Harry getting _nothing_ of what he said?

"I bet she didn't help… I can't imagine she pictured her life living in a hovel with more kids than she can feed. I think she's been pinning her hopes for a better, more financially secured life on her only daughter- maybe that's why she took you in, in the first place." At that Harry jumped to his feet, the cookie box clattering to the floor, but he hardly took notice,

"Do you actually hear yourself?" He cried in outrage and shock, "Are you being serious?" Sure, Molly wasn't one of his favorite people at the moment but that was a far cry to accuse her of… this!

"Why are you so eager to forgive and forget? Did you forget how this family tossed you out on your backside as soon as you turned out to be something other than what they expected?" Draco was also rising to his feet, looking incredulous, "Harry, they bloody cast you aside when you stuck with Remus, they were never your true family if they could just as easily forget about you! Stop defending them, they are not worthy of your loyalty!"

"Fuck you Draco Malfoy! What the hell do you know of loyalty and family?" Harry yelled his face red and his eyes shining with anger. Without waiting for Draco's reply he turned his heel and stormed towards the kitchens. Draco clenched his fists, closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths and tried to calm himself lest he caused damage to his home.

When he opened his eyes again he noticed the discarded cookie box on the floor. Stealing a glance towards the direction Harry stormed off to he approached the box, grabbing it and running towards the nearest fireplace.

"Severus, Severus!" He cried, as soon as he stepped out of the floo, brushing his front carelessly. The house seemed empty but Draco knew Severus had to be there because the floo network was open. Knowing better than to try and come uninvited to the potion lab he decided to adopt his foolproof method of getting the older man's attention, "Oh, _Sevvy_…" He called sweetly and braced himself. Within seconds the the tall, lanky and dark form of his former potions professor swooped at him, causing Draco to jump slightly in surprise,

"I told you never to call me that!" The irate Snape snapped. Draco gave him a bright smile, "What do you want, you irritating brat?" Draco presented the box of cookies to the older man,

"I need you to exam these and tell me if there is anything laced in these cookies." Snape looked at the box, not making a move to reach for it,

"Have you turned paranoid in your old age that you now have to scan all the food that comes across your way?" He drawled and Draco gave him one of his 'Malfoy looks',

"No, they're Potter's actually." He drawled back,

"So Potter is getting paranoid then?" Draco suddenly looked uncomfortable,

"Well, not really… He doesn't even know I've got these." Severus sighed and rubbed his forehead,

"Draco, what's going on?" Draco sighed,

"The Weasley girl showed up, uninvited, on my doorstep with this box of cookies she had made for Harry." He explained, and Severus' eyes rolled- he too realized the depth of tactlessness,

"And you think that her intentions are less than pure?"

"In a nutshell." Severus contemplated the younger man's words for a moment, trying to wrap his mind around the events and their implications,

"Draco, do you realize what you're asking me to do?" He asked, this was serious stuff. Very serious! "What do you plan to do if it turns out she did lace the cookies with something?" Draco bit his lip, truth be told he hadn't fully thought what it meant but being a good arguer, he wasn't about to let Severus know that.

"It will be Harry's decision to make. I'll just be providing the facts." He answered primly. It would be Harry's decision in the end, but Draco was pretty positive his arguer's tactics and training would come in handy there.

"You do understand that if word of this gets out and the cookies are clean you're putting not only your professional reputation on line but also your integrity as a citizen? Miss Weasley would be within her rights to sue the pants off of you." Draco huffed, he hated when Severus became too logical and _right_… It was worst than Harry's complaints of Remus!

"Severus, please, I know what I'm doing and I am fairly positive I'm right on this one, unfortunately. Look," He reached out his hand, his tone soothing and practical, "I'll give you a wizard oath that your name will not be involved in any of this."

"Don't be silly boy, you know you can't make such a promise if you turn out to be right and this goes to trial." Severus snapped, annoyed that his own godson was trying his arguing tactics on _him_. "I'll do it, but promise me you won't go behind Harry's back on this again and respect his wishes." Draco gave him a little pout, to which Severus replied with a raised eyebrow. Eventually Draco sighed,

"Alright, fine." An awkward moment of silence stretched between the two, while Severus studied Draco with narrowed eyes, his fingers drumming on the cookie box and Draco felt like he was a first year in his first potions class. Eventually he gave Severus a shaky smile, "I'll be off then." Severus gave him a curt nod and watched as Draco stumbled towards the floo. Once the young man was out of sight he allowed himself a small smug smile.


	41. Chapter 41

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Beta: El Dragon!**

**A/N: The Ginny evilness continues…**

**This time I have great excuse for being tardy- It's Passover and I had to go home to celebrate and didn't have time to do anything on the computer since the entire family was there. But now I'm back at mine and here it is: **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Forty-one**

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It'd been nearly three weeks since the 'Cookie incident', and Harry was giving Draco the silence treatment. Draco thought it childish and petulant but of course he couldn't tell that to Harry. He tried to be a good friend and give Harry space, he really did, but the results of Snape's tests for the Weaslette's cookies came back, and Draco could be silent no more.

"Harry," He said firmly that morning during breakfast, "We need to talk." Harry looked up from his plate startled; it'd been nearly a month since he'd last spoken to the other man, even though they sat together for breakfast nearly every day. The look in Draco's eye told him this was important and that he would have let Harry continue with his childish games if it wasn't. Harry nodded curtly, knowing that Draco would catch him sometime after he'd sent Aaron over to Snape for their lesson.

Draco managed to catch Harry just he rose from the hearth after sending Aaron through and making sure he'd landed safely on the other side. The two settled on the sofas in one of the manor's many sitting rooms, Harry was curious but he tried to hide it, while Draco looked troubled as he contemplated what would be the best way to tackle the delicate issue at hand. Eventually he took a deep breath and met Harry's gaze squarely,

"Draco what it is? You're starting to scare me…" Harry breathed out, feeling a little breathless with the intensity of Draco's stare. Draco took another deep breath,

"It's about Ginny Weasley." He stated solemnly, deliberately using her full name with no derogatory additions so that he won't alienate Harry off the start, but Harry bristled all the same,

"I thought I told you to drop this!" Draco lowered his head, accepting the reprimand and muttered under his breath,

"I took the cookies to be analyzed by Severus…" Harry's jaw dropped, he rubbed his forehead, hoping beyond hope that he heard wrong,

"What?"

"I took the cookies to be analyzed by Severus, and a good thing too because you'll never guess what I found out!" Draco snapped, but Harry was not appeased,

"I specifically told you to drop this!" He yelled, his face turning red, "Why do you always do that?"

"Because I was right!" Draco yelled back, his face just as flushed, "She laced the cookies with a love potion!" Harry seemed to deflate at hearing that. He sat back down slowly; unaware he'd risen in his rage, and put his head in his hands. Draco took a deep breath to recompose himself and sat back down as well. He chewed on his lip for a moment, contemplating what to do next. When Harry showed no sign of moving he rose from his seat and sat back down next to his friend, putting a comforting hand on his back,

"Draco, what exactly did you find out?" Harry asked in a cold voice, still refusing to lift his head,

"She laced the cookies with several love potions, but not just dropping it into the cookie batter; she layered it in a way that took even Sev two weeks to figure out." Harry lifted his head,

"What are you saying exactly?" Draco put his other hand on Harry's knee, not entirely sure if it was for comfort or to prevent Harry from jumping up and attacking him,

"She didn't just want you to fall in love with her; she wanted you to forget everything else. If you'd have eaten even one bite of those things you'd have forgotten completely about Remus, Aaron and even your friends. You'd be her personal sex slave and house elf." Harry paled at hearing that, his hands flying instinctively to his stomach,

"What about the baby?" Draco shrugged,

"I don't think she knows of the baby otherwise she'd have probably made it more potent, but it's pretty safe to say that if you had eaten her cookies you'd have lost the baby." Harry pressed the tips of his fingers against his closed eyes, his breath ragged. He couldn't believe it, not Ginny…

"Harry…" Draco pressed gently, trying to move the conversation on to the point he was trying to get to, "What are you planning to do?" Harry looked up,

"Do? What you do mean?"

"You can press charges against her," Draco started but Harry raised his hand in resolution,

"No." Draco rolled his eyes, trying to suppress the urge to literally shake sense into Harry,

"Harry, she planned this! She can't claim she just accidently dropped some love potion into the batter- oops I'm sorry my hand slipped! It was premeditated and organized, you need to be quite familiar with potions to get to this level of precision and combinations, and she's a healer! She wanted to take you away from everyone you love and dull your senses enough so that she could control you for good! If this goes to trial she could get a minimum of a life sentence in Azkaban!" Harry shook his head miserably the whole time Draco was speaking, no no no no! He didn't want this to happen, none of it!

"I can't… I can't Draco, I can't…" He muttered over and over, he couldn't he just couldn't.

"Ultimately it's your decision how to proceed but I strongly urge you to…" Harry stopped him there,

"No. I don't want to do anything. Please drop it." Draco racked his hand through his hair not believing Harry was willing to just forget all he said,

"Harry, do you understand what I've just told you?" Harry turned and fixed his best friend with a glare,

"Yes, Draco, I'm not an idiot! And you said it was my decision and I've decided I want to drop this and not think about it! So bloody well leave it!" With that he swept from the room, leaving Draco to clench his jaw to prevent himself from screaming in frustration.

Stonily, Harry made his way to his bedroom, determined not to think about what Draco had just told him. It wasn't fair really. He did everything for the Weasleys, he was willing to die for them, they were his surrogate family, well actually, in terms of traditional family they were closer to him than his own parents. Sure Lily and James and Sirius were fun to have around (when his mother didn't insist on inviting homicidal ghosts over of course) but they were more like friends than family. Everything Harry thought he knew of what family should look like he took from Molly and Arthur Weasley, and this string of betrayals on their part was hurting more than he was willing to admit even to himself. First there was Molly and then Ron, his best friend! And now Ginny? The only girl he'd ever considered as a sister?

Lying on his bed, facing the ceiling Harry thought of his decision of inaction. If any of what Draco had said was true, and he was pretty sure it was because Draco wouldn't have gone through all that trouble just to smear Ginny's name, plus there was also Severus involved and Harry knew that the man's vindictiveness didn't go further than he himself. If any of this was true…

Premeditated, Draco said she'd planned the whole thing, not just dripped a couple of drops into the cookie batch but actually made it so that even the most brilliant potions master in magical England had to work on it for a fortnight to get the results. This was really breaking Harry's heart, more than the fact that Draco was right about everything and given the chance he'd rub it in Harry's face for all eternity.

No, he wasn't going to pursue anything legally, of that he was certain, but he would cut off his remaining emotional links to the Weasleys that had wronged him. Hard as it may be to contemplate Harry was truly done with them.

He let a single tear run down his cheek for the loss of the only family he'd ever known.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** I know it's a little on the short side… what can I say, Draco talks really fast…

And erm… Of course, **Happy Spring Holidays to all!!!**


	42. Chapter 42

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Beta: El Dragon!**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Forty-two**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

"Aaron, come on, we'll be late!" Harry called in an exasperated tone from the bottom for the stairs.

"Comiiiing daddy!" The little boy yelled from the top of the stairs, making Harry roll his eyes and silently curse Draco for indulging his son in reckless behavior. In fact, it seemed that nothing pleased Draco more than to encourage Aaron to do all the things he himself was forbidden to do as a child. Right now for example Aaron was attempting to run down the stairs to join his father, not taking into consideration that the stairs were far too high for him.

Harry watched in horror as Aaron was about to trip. Without thinking he whipped out his wand and accioed his son to him, Aaron zoomed through the air laughing, and landed safely in his father's arms.

"You did this on purpose you wicked little pup!" Harry whispered in his son's ear, causing Aaron to laugh harder. He loved it when his daddy zoomed him in the air like that, it was so much fun! "We're going over to Aunt Hermione," Harry said, and Aaron flinched a little. To be truly honest Harry was kind of at his wit's end on the subject of Hermione and his son, the two just didn't seem to warm up to one another. Harry suspected that Hermione was just as scared of Aaron as Aaron was of her, but he couldn't really confront Hermione with that as Aaron was the only one showing any outward signs of actual fear. "How about we go to see Uncle George and Uncle Fred afterwards?" The grin that spread on Aaron's face made Harry feel a little guilty, like he was bribing his son with the promise of the twins shop so that he'd come to his appointment with Hermione. But what else could he do? Kids loved Fred and George, and not just because of their cool shop. At least this time he didn't promise to buy Aaron anything…

"Hermione, we're here." Harry called as soon as they stepped through the green flames. Hermione stepped out of the examining room adjacent to her office, disposing of a paper towel she just dried her hands on in the waste bin.

"Good morning to you two." She beamed at Harry first, then turned to Aaron and her smile grew wide and fixed. Aaron hid his head in Harry's shoulder and Hermione rolled her eyes in frustration. "Are you ready for your exam?" She clipped and Harry nodded, thoroughly amused by how a four years old child could baffle so someone as confident as Hermione Granger.

Following Hermione into the exam room, Harry put Aaron on the floor so that he could climb on the examining table. Aaron immediately dragged a stool over and perched himself by his daddy's head, leaning over the bed with his elbows and following Hermione's every move.

"All right, let's see that baby of yours." Hermione chirped, trying her best to ignore Aaron, as she put on latex gloves and grabbed her wand and some gel. Harry lifted his shirt, wriggling a little to make himself more comfortable on the narrow table. Hermione smiled as the sight of the baby bump. It wasn't big and certainly wasn't showing through clothes yet but Harry knew it was there; he couldn't really suck his stomach in and make it disappear anymore. Shaking the gel bottle a little Hermione poured it over Harry's exposed stomach. The brunet hissed at the coldness but didn't say a word. Pressing the tip of her wand to the gelled stomach Hermione whispered a spell and started moving the wand around. Above Harry's stomach suddenly formed a fogy picture of...

"It's a blob." Harry complained, unable to decipher what he was seeing. Hermione sighed; such is the toll of working with the uneducated…

"Try to use a little bit of imagination…" She pleaded, "This is the head, and here's the spinal cord." She pointed the aforementioned organs and Harry's eyes grew in awe. He squeezed Aaron's hand, tears of joy forming in his eyes. "Would you like to know the sex of the baby?" Harry looked up, mouth gaping, and frowned,

"Yes. No! No, I want it to be a surprise… No, wait I do… I don't know…" Hermione smiled patiently, waiting for Harry to stop for a breath,

"Why don't I just tell you?" She suggested, gods, this whole 'giving parents choice as to whether they'd like to know the sex of their baby' was completely ridiculous! Harry gave her lopsided smile, knowing that if he'd continue debating with himself Hermione would thump him. And since she was the only healer he trusted with keeping his pregnancy a secret and getting both him and his baby to the finish line healthy and safe he really didn't want to antagonize her too much. He turned to Aaron, who was watching the baby sonogram with fascination,

"What would you like to have? A baby brother or sister?" Aaron gave it some thought,

"A puppy!" Both Harry and Hermione snickered at that, and Harry turned to lean on his elbow and face his son,

"Cana, I'm not having a puppy… Hermione, please explain to him." Hermione looked up, clearly frightened, but Harry narrowed his eyes at her and she smiled nervously,

"Um, ok. Um, you see Aaron, when mommy and da… I mean _daddy_ and daddy love each other very much, sometimes they…" Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation,

"Not that!" He cried, and Hermione let out a small sigh of relief, "Tell him how dogs have puppies and people have babies." He stressed. The last thing he needed right now was Hermione going technical about how babies came into the world!

"Oh," Hermione smiled bashfully, rubbing the back of her neck. Aaron was now looking at her with a wide eyed stare that was really unnerving. "Um, yes. Just like your daddy said, dogs have puppies, and people have babies, your daddy isn't a dog, is he?"

"Sometimes he is." Hermione blinked a couple of times, lost for words,

"Well, he got me there, Harry. I'm out." She held her hands up and Harry laughed. Pressing a kiss to his grinning son's face he lay back again, looking at Hermione expectantly,

"So, will it be blue or pink?" Hermione snorted,

"As if I'd use blue for a boy and pink for a girl!" Harry nearly rolled his eyes, of course. Hermione Granger was far too feminist to put even an unborn baby into color slots. "I have designed a neat little spell that will show us the gender, by creating a gender symbol in _green_ smoke." Harry smiled, biting his tongue knowing that anything he'd say right now would probably result in bodily harm for him. Instead he gestured to Hermione to proceed.

The brown haired witch took out her wand again and flourished it over Harry's stomach. Unconsciously Harry grabbed Aaron's hand, needing to anchor himself, this was so exciting! The sonogram of the baby disappeared and in its stead the space above his stomach turned into green smoke. Hermione wriggled her eyebrows proudly at the display before she muttered a spell and the smoke reshaped itself.

"A girl?" Harry breathed out, and Hermione nodded, "I'm having a girl?" Letting out a small chocked sob/laugh he covered his mouth in his hand. He was having a girl! He was having a _girl_!! A panicked look crossed his face, "I'm having a girl… Hermione, I'm having a girl! I don't know anything about girls!" Hermione sighed, she could see the transformation from anticipation to excitement to panic on Harry's face and frankly, it was quite a hoot, but right now she needed to slip into her best friend mode rather than healer.

"Oh, don't worry; you've got plenty of girls in your life that'd be more than willing to help you." Harry didn't seem too convinced by that. "Besides, it's not like you can change the baby's sex now… Magic can only do so much…" Feeling deflated and devoid of fighting spirit Harry sank back onto the table. A girl… Well, in all fairness he still had over a decade before his little girl turned into a _girl_ so he would cope, right?

"What do you think? A little sister." He turned to Aaron, who was looking a little miffed,

"I still want a puppy."

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

"Say Arggghh!"

"Ayyyy!" Harry laughed heartily at his son's attempt. Truly he was too cute for words. Harry adjusted the hat on Aaron's head, leaning back on his heels to give the boy a critical once-over before he leaned forward again and hugged him tight,

"You look fabulous! You're the best pirate I've ever seen!" Aaron beamed, he was beyond happy. He was going to his first Halloween party, as a fierce pirate. His first party! With loads of other children, and cake, and balloons!!

Harry looked at his son's smiling face. It was good for Aaron to go out there, and be with other kids, and seeing how excited and happy Aaron was made Harry's heart grow three times in size. And right now his baby boy looked so bloody adorable it was hard not to grab for the camera again. But as he already shot a giga wroth of pictures and Aaron was getting a little annoyed by the constant flashes Harry did his best to resist.

"Bloody hell! There's a piece of eye candy, no mistake about that! Oi, cap'in, ready to sail ship?" Both Harry and Aaron turned to look at Tonks who was standing by the grate, with a wide smile. Aaron gave Harry a side glance, not understanding a word his Auntie Tonks was saying while Harry laughed delightedly and scooped his boy into his arms.

"He's all ready." He informed Tonks as he made his way to her. "What's Cleo going as?"

"You'll never guess." She answered with a roll of her eyes, "You'd think she'd be happy with my idea of a fairy, or a princess, but no… She's her father's daughter, no mistake there!" Harry chuckled, wondering what sort of ideas Severus Snape managed to install into his his infant daughter's head,

"So… What she's going as?"

"Severus thought it would be a brilliant idea to teach her the lore of ancient Greek. So now my darling daughter decided she wants to go as Medusa!" Tonks complained loudly, "She even managed to get her hair to look like snakes!" Harry was laughing so hard it was causing Aaron to bounce. But the boy didn't care, it was a while since his daddy laughed like that and it was always fun to hear.

"And you're just letting him get away with that?" Harry asked incredulously, causing Tonks to snort dismissively,

"Of course not! _He's_ taking the kids to the party." She said with a wink and Harry laughed again. Good old Tonks.

"Are you ready to go?" Tonks asked and Aaron nodded, reaching out for her to take him. Hoisting the boy higher on her hip, Tonks turned to the fireplace and reached for the floo pot. "You better get ready yourself; zero hour is ten p.m. We all gather here." With that she was gone with his son and Harry was left alone to complain about Draco popping a vein at seeing everyone in his precious manor dressed as 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' characters. Shaking his head fondly Harry turned towards his room; he had about an hour and half to nap before it was time to start getting ready.

About two hours later Draco barged into his rooms, and upon finding only Harry there he let out a disappointed sigh,

"Damn it! I was hoping to catch Aaron in his pirate outfit before he left for his party…" He said regrettably. Draco's only seen parts of the costume as Harry made it but never the whole thing. "Well, I guess I'll have to catch him when he comes back then." Harry turned from the mirror, looking somewhat sheepish,

"No, you won't. He's not coming back tonight; he's staying with Severus and Cleo."

"Why?"

"Because we're all going out and won't be home till very late so it only makes sense." Harry shrugged, and watched through the mirror as Draco bristled at the thought of not being invited to an outing,

"Where are you going?" He asked, trying to mask his hurt with a tone of indifference, but Harry knew him too well to fall for it,

"To the same place we go every Halloween, to see 'The Rocky Horror picture show'." Draco looked confused for a second before he found the answer,

"Oh, that muggle film." Harry rolled his eyes,

"Yes, that 'muggle film'." He repeated sarcastically, curling his fingers to form air quotes.

"So…" Draco said, trying to sound nonchalant while dissecting a flower from the vase the house elves put fresh every morning on the coffee table in Harry's bedroom, "Who's going this year?" Harry peered at him through the mirror, knowing full well what Draco meant and after whom he was questioning specifically,

"Just the old gang." He trailed lightly, "Oh, except for Mione, she can't come this year; she's got a shift at the hospital." Draco's face turned momentarily white at the mention of his ex but it quickly passed, years of Malfoy training kicking in place to let the indifferent snobbish mask fall back into place.

"I see." He said casually, though the poor flower in his hand was now beyond recognition. Harry bit his lip, trying to think of something productive to say to elevate the mood. It had been quite a while since Hermione left the manor but obviously not long enough for Draco. Before he could come up with anything his fireplace flared green, admitting a stumbling and cursing Seamus in. upon seeing the Irish man Draco straightened up, his eyes popping out and his jaw slackening,

"Finnigan!" He cried, "Are you wearing a _corset_?" Seamus looked down at himself, giving Draco a mock surprised look,

"Blimy, will you look at that!" Draco narrowed his eyes at him while Harry chuckled,

"Don't be funny Finnigan." Draco snapped and Seamus sent him a raspberry kiss.

"Harry, why aren't you ready?" He asked instead of rising to Draco's bait. The blond wasn't fun anyway; Seamus always found he lacked the finer points of getting his jokes. Besides, Draco could be such a prissy snob at times it was just too easy. Harry rose from his table, turning to face his friends,

"I'm just done with my make-up and now I'll go slip into something more comfortable. Excuse me." He said with a bright smile. Picking up his wand he conjured a large folding screen to hide behind while he changed. Normally he wouldn't be that self conscious about his body but Harry discovered that ever since he's been starting to show he really didn't want anyone seeing his tummy. It was his and his alone, at least until he couldn't hide it anymore. A few moments later he stepped out, brushing his hands down his front, "How do I look?"

"Harry, have you got a good reason for wearing a dress?" Draco asked, indicating Harry's sailor style shirt and skirt that was in fact so short it was almost indecent. For the moment Draco decided to ignore the pink wig Harry was wearing.

"Because I can't wear a corset anymore?" Harry patted his stomach softly, and smiled brightly at his friend, Draco shook his head,

"No, I said _a good reason_." Harry shrugged, looking at Seamus who was practically squirming with suppressed laughter,

"Then no." Seamus let out a loud barking laugh and approached Harry, wrapping his arm around the brunet's shoulders,

"I think he looks brilliant. Like something out of a Japanese anime series." Harry grinned wide, good, at least someone got what he was trying to aim for.

"Where's Adam, isn't he coming with us?" Harry asked as he walked over to his table and grabbed a slice of pineapple from the fruit plate the house-elves left him. Damn cravings.

"Nope, he's part of the cast this year so he'll meet us there." Seamus answered proudly. He joined Harry by the table but his hand was viciously smacked away when he tried to grab some melon. Harry gave a low growl that had Draco snickering while Seamus rubbed his hand with a hurt expression,

"So, what's he's playing?" Harry asked as if nothing had happened. Seamus looked at Draco who simply shrugged, he had already learned the painful lesson of not taking food from a pregnant Harry, he was just surprised Seamus hasn't yet.

"Well, you'd think he'd be something cool like Frank or Rocky, but they gave him the part of Brad…" Seamus rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. Before Harry could comment on that the fireplace flared green again spewing into his room three figures similarly clad to Seamus with high platform shoes, fishnet stockings, garter belts and a corsets. Draco simply gaped at them while the twins and Fernando brushed soot off of one another.

"Fred!" He cried, "I understand why the poofs all wear this but why are you?" He asked the twin with the red corset and hair to match.

"How do you know I'm Fred and not George?" The redhead challenged. Draco shrugged and pointed at the other twin,

"Cause if you are, then you'll be sharing much more with Fred than juts DNA." Fred looked over to see George and Fernando deep in snogging. He rolled his eyes,

"George!" He snapped and George tore himself away from his boyfriend with a sheepish smile. Fred rolled his eyes and decided to ignore his brother, turning back to Draco instead, "As for your question, this movie is great fun and a brilliant place to hook up."

"Really?" Fred nodded vigorously, it wasn't his fault that all his friends were so damn monogamist it wasn't even funny. He liked girls, and sex with girls and lots of it. And from some reason 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' was a brilliant place to get laid, all those loose girls- and most of them weren't even lesbians!

"Were the hell is Sirius? We're going to be late by the time he decides to show up." Harry complained loudly, glancing at the big clock by the wall. It was already half past eleven. "Tonks said we're to meet at ten!"

"Fear not my children, your master has cometh." Everyone turned to look at the double doors of Harry's rooms where Sirius stood majestically, clad from neck to toe in a long dark cape. Flanking him were Tonks and Mairead, both dressed to the nines as Magenta and Columbia, respectively.

Draco rubbed his eyes a couple of times, gods, no wonder he never accompanied Hermione to these things, these people were all freaks! They were actually thinking of going out in public wearing these… ridiculous costumes. Try as he may he couldn't tear his eyes away from Tonks' hair. It was big, and round, and red. Like a giant bubble above her head, it was disconcerting.

"Cousin, you're not dressed, aren't you coming with us?" She asked Draco with a bright smile, turning her head to give him the full view of her hair.

"Don't be silly woman, of course I'm not coming. I'll be caught dead before seeing with you lot out in public." Draco sneered, pulling his Malfoy snobbishness around him like a cloak. Sirius chuckled, leaning conspiratorially towards the blond,

"That's not what your mother used to say." Draco bristled, his eyes going wide,

"What did you say?" He practically barked at the older man, but Sirius only gave him a wide, ruby red smile,

"My cousin, your mother- Narcissa Black-Malfoy was one excellent floor show Janet. She looked quite fetching with a corset." The entire room burst into hushed laughter and whispers. Draco chose to ignore them all and focused his attention on his very annoying relative.

"She would never!" He hissed. Sirius crossed his arms over his chest, his cape parting to reveal that underneath it he was dressed much like the others.

"Why don't you ask her?" He challenged. Draco pulled himself up and strode over to the fireplace,

"Oh, I will!" He tossed a handful of floo powder and stuck his head in, "Mother!" He barked, his body trembling with rage, how dare this low-life of a traitor accuse his own mother! His gentle, beautiful mother of such filth?!

"Draco!" Narcissa's face appeared in the grate, a pleasant smile on her face. When she saw the others standing behind Draco she let out a small, happy and very much un-Malfoy squeal, "Oh, you're all going to the midnight show! How fun!"

"Mother?" Draco's voice was cracking with disbelief and instead of booming and roaring he was squeaking like a little mouse. Narcissa waved her hand excitedly,

"Ooh, you're going to the show too, love? But you aren't dressed…" Draco rubbed his forehead in exasperation; this was not going well, at all!

"Mother, don't be silly. I wouldn't indulge in this frivolity and frankly I'm quite shocked that you did!" Narcissa raised an eyebrow at her son, looking quite unimpressed,

"A little frivolity might help you getting rid of that enormous stick up your bum!" Behind Draco Narcissa could see everyone hiding their faces and shaking with suppressed laughter. She gave Sirius a little wink before turning back to her shocked son, "Look love, I know you like to think you are your father's spitting image but believe me, you're not. You're much more like me than you'd ever be able to hide. And now that your father is dead you can finally step from under his shadow and become your own man. Go and have fun, it won't kill you." Draco slumped to the floor, completely devoid of fighting spirit. Narcissa looked over the assembled crowd again, "Oh, how I envy you all. I remember dressing up and going to the show, it was such good fun… Where are Lily and James, I wouldn't imagine they of all people would miss this."

"It's a muggle theatre, ghosts aren't allowed there." Harry explained. Though to be truly honest he was rather glad his parents couldn't make it. It was one thing to go with Remus and Sirius all dressed up in skimpy outfits but it would be anther all together seeing his parents in them. Narcissa nodded,

"Yes, that would cause quite a scandal. Perhaps I should come?" She suggested with a bright smile. Sirius raised his hands in the air and cried out his agreement. The roaring laughter seemed to have snapped Draco out of his shock,

"No!" He cried, "There is absolutely no need for that mother, thank you very much! You should stay in France and… and celebrate there." Narcissa gave a rather un-lady-like snort of laughter, gazing at her son shrewdly,

"Alright, I won't come, but only if you promise me you'll dress up and go." Draco's jaw dropped in shock; he couldn't believe his own mother was resorting to dodgy bargains to get him to do this!

"I will promise no such thing." Narcissa smiled wide,

"I was hoping you'd say that. Scoot over, son, I'm coming through, I believe I have my old corset in one of the drawers in my room."

"Alright!" Draco cried, gritting his teeth in annoyance, "Alright! I'll go, you horrible woman!" Narcissa blew him a raspberry kiss and waved to the others,

"Make sure he looks good boys and girls and have great fun tonight." With a last she disappeared and the flames in the fireplace returned to yellow. Draco was still kneeling on the rug, his face completely slack with shock, what on earth had just happened?

"Come on, Draco; let's get you into a frock." Fred said happily as he and George linked arms under Draco's armpits and lifted the unresisting blond. It took Draco several seconds to grasp what was going on but as soon as he registered what the twins had in mind he shook them off,

"I'm not wearing a bloody corset!" He snapped, crossing his arms petulantly over his chest,

"Then you can go as Rocky." Seamus deadpanned. Draco looked at him suspiciously,

"What is he wearing?" Harry snorted in laughter, as did the others,

"A pair of golden knickers and boots." The entire room burst into hearty laughter, while Draco stood there, sending death glares to each in turn. Why was he even bothering? And how come these were his friends?

"Oh, leave the poor lad alone!" Tonks admonished the group while wiping happy tears from her eyes, "Leave it to me." She walked over to Draco and grabbed his elbow, dragging the grumbling blond behind the screen Harry erected earlier. The other waited patiently to see the end results, which promised to be wonderful if the hushed arguments and the flying clothes from behind the screen were any indication.

Ten minutes later Tonks reemerged, dragging a very petulant and reluctant Draco behind her. He was dressed much like his cousin, in gold and black, his long lean legs clad in black fishnet stockings and the front of his garment barely covering his garter belt, no matter how much Draco tried to tug it down. The other erupted in cheers, clapping and wolf whistling while Tonks stood beside him and beamed, utterly proud of her hand work. Harry walked over to Draco handing him a small vial,

"What's that?" Draco asked suspiciously,

"A mild cheering potion, just to give you a kick-start." Draco looked at Harry's kind smile, knowing that this would be the only help he's likely to get. Looking at the rest of the people in the room who all looked happy and ready to celebrate and sighed, what the hell, he might as well have fun, right?

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** My friend the Lady Kilder has never seen RHPS before, and as I believe this is an unforgivable sin I took it upon myself to make sure she did not stay a complete virgin for long. Though in all fairness the idea of their little Halloween tradition of dressing up and going to watch RHPS came to me during the writing of 'Jaded' only I couldn't find a good place to stick it in there, so here you go.

My friend Beankin' is always challenging me to go to a Halloween party as Shuichi Shindo from the anime 'Gravitation', I told her that as soon as she got me a pink wig I will. So far she hasn't…

Harry is going as him. And yes, I know he's a boy (sorta) and all but if you've seen the anime or read the manga you know that at one point (at least) he tried dressing up as a girl to impress Yuki.

If you haven't seen 'Gravitation' then just imagine any girl in Japanese anime with a micro skirt and ridiculously long legs, socks up to the knee and flat shoes that should do the trick.

Back in the day, that is between the end of school and the beginning of the war Sirius, Remus, Lily, James and Narcissa used to go and watch the 'RHPS' every year. After Sirius' return from behind the veil, the tradition resumed but without Lily, James and Narcissa. Harry, the twins, Seamus and Tonks gladly took their place.


	43. Chapter 43

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Beta: El Dragon!**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Forty-three**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Remus sighed in relief as the door finally closed behind him. Another day was over. Rubbing his eyes a little he walked over to the little mini-bar in his room and poured himself a generous tumbler of whiskey. Another day was finally over, another day far away from his family. Just like the days before it. Last week had been yet another full moon which he didn't spend with his family and didn't see his cute little cub hopping and running about and yipping happily. Remus looked out the window, blinking away the sting in his eyes, at the buildings surrounding his own. Madrid was a beautiful city, no one could argue with that, but to him it seemed empty, lifeless.

"Remus!" Remus jumped up, startled by the unexpected voice in his grate and dropping his empty tumbler to roll on the carpeted floor.

"Sirius?" He asked in disbelief, coming nearer to the fireplace in order to make sure he wasn't dreaming and it was in fact, Sirius Black's face green and hovering between the flames. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I've got some friends here who'd like to have a word with you." Before Remus could comment Lily and James' faces turned up in the grate, at first it was hard to distinguish them from the flames as they weren't corporeal but Remus knew who they were immediately. Sirius, Lily and James all together in his fireplace, well, that can't be good…

"Good to see you Remus, good to see you." Lily greeted him, her voice cheerful, but Remus had known her far too long _not_ have heard the hard undertone- this was not a courtesy call. Remus gulped, he knew this was going to be difficult, serious questions were going to be asked soon, questions he wasn't entirely sure he had answers for. Questions he was afraid to even ask himself.

"Oh, gods did you all get high and watched 'The Godfather' again?" He asked lightly, trying to stir the conversation away from painful subjects. But unfortunately the three in the fireplace refused to be distracted by this lame humor.

"We didn't watch 'The Godfather'." James informed him flatly. Beside him his wife rolled her eyes,

"We didn't get high, James!" She snapped, causing both Sirius and Remus to bite their lip in amusement. James thought about it for a second,

"Yeah, that too."

"What do you want?" Remus asked again, hoping this torture would end soon. He loved his friends, he really did but right now they were his in-laws and nobody liked to have a dressing down by those.

"To know, Remus. We just want to know." James said in a voice that promised pain if they didn't like the answer. Remus wanted to laugh. They were _not_ going to like the answer that was for sure.

"To know what?" At that Lily finally snapped, she didn't mind a little verbal foreplay before the games really begun but this intentionally obtuse Remus was getting on her nerves and fast,

"Oh, come on Remus! Don't play daft with us; you know perfectly well what we want!" Remus stiffened and looked the other way,

"This is none of your business; this is between me and Harry." There, he said it- Harry's name, after so long he refused to utter the syllables on his tongue. And boy did it hurt…

"It is most definitely our business," Remus shook his head, refusing to hear what she wanted to say, "It _is_ our business when my only child is crying his eyes out to me because he doesn't think he can pull off being a single father and he doesn't know if and when his husband is coming home!" Lily continued mercilessly, pretending she didn't see the flash of pain crossing Remus' face at the mention of her son's name. Part of her was glad to see it, it meant the worst she'd imagined of Remus was not true, he still cared, but that didn't erase the fact that her son was stashed in Malfoy Manor and miserable while Remus was here in Spain.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Moony?" James snapped, always charging full steam ahead to get the answers he wanted. Remus, who looked like a little sad heap on the floor after Lily's speech stiffened again and stood up.

"Nothing!"

"Then come home." James' voice was challenging, his eyes as well. Remus, however, refused to look at any of them.

"I can't. I need to finish my work here." He said quietly, his posture defensive with arms crossed over his chest and shoulders hunched in.

"Oh, please, Remus, it's a bunch of Spaniard werewolves, can't they work out their own issues?" Never in her death was Lily so glad she could touch Sirius, as she slapped the back of his head around James' back, to let the man know his words were completely none conducive and probably going to get the opposite result of what they were hoping.

"Unlike the likes of you, Black," Remus hissed furiously, "I have work ethic and I _will _finish the job I took upon myself!" Lily almost smiled at that, in moments like these she could definitely see the man her son fell in love with.

"Forget the job, Remus are you going to come back when you're done?" James asked his voice serious and heavy. Remus looked even more uneasy, if James was pulling the serious card, things at home must be really messed up. For a fleeting second Remus wanted to drop everything, tell his friends to move out of the fireplace and floo back home and hold Harry. Instead he sighed and shrugged,

"Of course I am." As lovely as Spain was, and it was a lovely country indeed, Remus didn't belong there. He would return to England eventually that was for sure.

"Are you coming back to Harry?" Ah, the million dollar question… James looked hard at his friend, taking in the way he averted his eyes and refused to look at them. That had been what he'd been afraid of.

"Thought so." He said bitterly, "You were right Lily; we _should_ have sent Snivellus to hex the balls off of him."

"I didn't say I wasn't going back!" Remus snapped defensively.

"You didn't say you were, either." Sirius reminded him, causing Remus to bristle and hunch into himself again,

"It's complicated…" He muttered, almost to himself,

"It's actually very simple." Lily put in, her voice very clipped and sharp, "You have a child and a husband whom you knocked up. Are you going to man up and take responsibility for it or will you be a coward and run away?" Remus turned his face to the grate again, almost sneering at the challenge in Lily's eyes. He hated when they ganged up against him like that, trying to draw decisions from him that he didn't have.

"Damn it Lily, it's not that simple!"

"Why?" James jumped in, having had quite enough of Remus' evasiveness, "Why isn't it simple? Harry will do _anything_ for you and you can't even acknowledge your own fatherhood?"

"I…" Remus watched the three of them sadly, his resolve and strength crumbling away, "Look, I… I know you're worried about Harry but this isn't as simple as you put it. There are… things to consider." From the looks on his friends faces Remus knew he was not getting to them and that no matter what he'd say they were going to side with Harry. And they should, he thought sadly, he just wished someone would comfort _him_ and help _him_ through this too.

"The only thing you need to consider is Harry's and your baby's well being." James deadpanned. To him things were very simple, he had another grandchild on the way and that child needed two parents.

"I thought you wanted a family, Moony, you adore Aaron. Why is this new baby bothering you so much?" Sirius tried to soothe the harsh tone of James' words, knowing that Remus was more likely to bury himself in his Gryffindor stubbornness than to come out and say point-blank what was bothering him. "You think it's not yours?" At that Lily and James' jaws dropped and Remus knew that if they could they'd be standing in his living room right now, punching him beyond recognition, gods but Sirius could be thick sometimes, and in dire need of a muzzle on his mouth!

"Of course not!" He barked so loudly he could see Lily deflating with relief, "That's exactly the problem." He added in a barely audible murmur.

"Speak up, wolf, what do you mean?" James, still upset by Sirius' accusation was reaching the end of his rather limited at best patience.

"We never talked about the possibility of having a baby together." Remus still murmured, as if he'd forgotten the rest of them and was talking to himself,

"So bloody what?" James yelled, his face seemingly darkening in the fireplace, "You _are_ having one, you can't run from this!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Remus was now facing the fireplace, yelling right back,

"Then what the hell is your problem?" Lily and Sirius watched the exchange with wide eyes, enthralled,

"I can't father a werewolf!" Dead silence followed Remus' declaration, James and Sirius looked confused, while Lily lowered her head, her expression pained as if her worst fears had been confirmed,

"What?" James uttered lamely, as Remus turned his face away again, his chin trembling,

"Remus? What do you mean?" Sirius asked, "You love Aaron…"

"Aaron is not of my making." Remus answered in a hollow voice,

"You think this new baby is going to be a werewolf?" James asked incredulously, the possibility truly never crossing his mind,

"Don't you?" Remus tossed back, "It was conceived under the full moon."

"That still doesn't prove anything." Lily said quietly, her eyes now fixed on Remus,

"Lily," Remus knelt before her, "I've spent my entire life watching myself and doing everything within my power to remain clean, not to let this curse make _me_ into a monster and now… my… my own… child…" Remus tried to clear his throat, his voice breaking with emotion, Lily's eyes were full of sympathy and understanding, that was not helping Remus one bit,

"Remus…"

"I can't face this, Lily, I can't." He practically sobbed to the witch, who could feel her own eyes filling up. Poor Remus, having to deal with all of this alone, if only he'd come to them before, talked to them maybe they could have found a way to make things better, whole again.

"This is bullocks!" James cried, causing everyone to jump, "You have a responsibility to my son and you have a responsibility to this baby, and I don't care what you have to tell yourself in order to accept it but by Merlin, _you will_!" With that the enraged ghost disappeared from the grate, leaving three people gaping behind him. At long last Sirius cleared his throat, chuckling weakly,

"Don't mind Prongs, he's just a little strung out…"

"He's right." Remus answered flatly. Of course James was right, you could always count on James Potter to blurt out the things other people only tiptoed around.

"Yes, he is." Sirius looked shocked at his pearly friend,

"Lily!" Lily turned her gaze back at him, her eyes sad,

"James is right, Sirius and you know it. Harry needs Remus and Remus needs Harry." Remus lowered his head; the mere mention of Harry's name was like painful pricks in his skin. He hated being reminded of his failure, of his disappointment.

"I know but look at him," Sirius said in a hushed tone that made Remus want to claw out his eyes, "He needs our support in this."

"He needs to face up with his obligations to Harry, as scary as they may be." Lily insisted. Remus lifted his head to her,

"What would you do if you were in my place?" Lily looked a little startled at the question, obviously not expecting it to be fired back at her,

"I would… own up to my duties and stick with my family." She said firmly. Remus let out a snort of laughter,

"Would you really? You're thinking as Harry's mother right now, you're not putting yourself in my position at all!"

"And you should be thinking of Harry as well! I _am_ Harry's mother and you are his husband, and I know that this is scaring you to death but Harry is also scared and worried and he misses you like hell." Remus again turned from the fireplace, unable to face her,

"Could you please leave?" Behind his back Sirius and Lily exchanged a glance,

"Look, Remus, you still got a couple of weeks to figure things out. We can't really do anything if you decide to stay here but trust me, if you do, we _will_ send Severus." And with Lily's parting words there was a whooshing sound from the grate and Remus knew his friends were gone and he was left alone, on the floor to do the right thing.

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**A/N:** To all of you who hate Remus right now, I just wanted to show a little bit of his side of things.


	44. Chapter 44

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Beta: El Dragon!**

**A/N: I'm really sorry for taking so long to post. My friend is having some trouble and I'm trying to get him through it and I haven't had the time or energy to write lately. **

**I want to thank each and every one of you who is taking the time to read my stories and mostly to those of you who are kind and caring enough to drop a word. I read them all, I'll have you know and I love each and every one, so please don't stop sending them to me. Thank you. Happy reading. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Forty-four**

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"Have you called her yet?"

"No, I haven't. Shove off!" Draco sighed, rubbing his temples softly to stave the headache that he felt creeping up. It wasn't even a proper hour, being nine thirty in the morning and already Harry was on it- like a bloody hound on a fox's scent.

Draco never imagined that a pregnant Harry would be such high maintenance. About twice an hour he'd curse Remus under his breath for taking off and leaving him, Draco at the mercy of the Boy Who Lived.

First there were the mood swings, which forced him to move all his valuable heirlooms into the basement where Harry never ventured and leave out only the ugly vases he _wanted_ broken and rid of. Lately, though, Harry's volatile temper had calmed down and the violence mostly stopped. Either that or Harry finally learned to control it, either way, it was a great relief to anyone with a daily contact to him.

Then there were the cravings, the mere thought of those still turned Draco's stomach in revulsion. Even the poor house-elves were having trouble coping with Harry's requests. Draco could still remember the day one of them brought Harry his desert, the tiny creatures' eyes brimming with tears at the thought of the ruined food. Frankly, Draco couldn't blame him, not when he saw what Harry had managed to concoct. Banana ice-cream, which in Draco's opinion was in itself unforgivable, topped with a mountain of whipped cream, honey and chocolate sauce. If things had stopped there Draco would have been grateful but on top of the confection where one might expect a couple of cherries were capers, pickled capers! And if that wasn't enough the whole wretched thing was sprinkled with chips of salty peanuts.

Harry's face beamed at the sight of the bowl and he dug in with gusto, while Draco paled and had to hide his mouth behind his hand lest he retched all over the table. But the absolutely worst thing in Draco's mind was the fact that Harry insisted on scooping his desert down, not with the aid of a spoon, but with that of a packet of crisps! And offering some to Aaron too, who gladly accepted!

Draco refrained from staying at the dinner table for desert after that.

And now this new devilry. As of late it seemed that Harry has decided that dealing with his own life was not as interesting and fun as meddling with Draco's was. And for some reason he'd gotten it into his head that Draco and Hermione absolutely must get back together.

It wasn't that Draco didn't want to get back with Hermione, in fact, he never wanted to break up in the first place, it was just that he didn't think it was _his_ place to grovel before the woman who had left _him_. But Harry knew them both and he knew that Hermione was much more stubborn than Draco could ever be and so while he was working on the Hermione front as well he honestly thought he'd have a better chance of cracking Draco first.

Draco sighed, he knew he shouldn't have come to the 'Sugardust' this morning and damn Harry with his promises of new creations… Draco knew he had played right into his friend's hands but he was powerless to resist Harry's sweets. It was sad really.

"You really should give her a ring. Just go out for coffee or something." Seamus piped from his station where he was busy sculpting with sugar dough. Draco turned a venomous glare at his direction, since when was his private life a topic of discussion in the shop? Bloody Gryffindors!

"Who asked you anyway?" He snapped rudely but Seamus just smiled and lifted up his latest creation which was a hand giving off the fingers towards Draco. Draco huffed and turned away from the crude Irishman.

"Just call her Draco, it won't kill you." Harry said in a soothing tone as he lifted a tray of cookies towards the oven. Seamus immediately jumped and grabbed the tray from him, chastising Harry for lifting heavy things while Harry rolled his eyes. Draco slumped in a nearby chair, pulling the phone from his pocket and fiddling with it while his friends bickered whether the cookie tray was considered heavy lifting or not.

Why shouldn't he call her? The two idiots in front of him were right; he could call Hermione and ask her out for a cup of coffee. Even if they couldn't be lovers, that didn't mean they couldn't be friends… Hell, his friends would be thrilled- that was one of the risks of having the same social circle as your girlfriend. And though his friends had managed to stay mostly out of the mess that was his and Hermione's relationship, and have learned over the years never to take a side it was always more fun when they didn't have to calculate their outings to accommodate only one of them.

But could he really be just friends with Hermione? Could he really do that? See her and not feel intense jealously if she smiled at another man, thinking what the nature of their relationship may be? And if, heavens forbid, she got herself another paramour, would he be able to be with them in the same room and not want to kill the other man? As much as Draco liked to think of himself as the bigger man who'd step down gracefully if the duty called he knew he couldn't very well be truly happy for Hermione. Especially since he still had feelings for her. Damn it! How come this girl of all people managed to capture his heart like that and spin his head so strongly he was still unable to even hear her name being mentioned without his heart giving out a painful twist?

Draco sighed again and looked up to see both Harry and Seamus watching him, the cookies safely encased in the oven. A little startled to be the center of attention all of a sudden Draco bristled a little, especially when he noticed the phone still in his hands. Running a hand through his hair Draco sighed, knowing that he'd lost whatever inner battle was going on inside him. He himself had picked up the phone so many times trying to make that very call and always chickened out but now he had the support, albeit dubious, of Harry and Seamus and what the hell, he might as well do it!

Pressing the number 2 key down for Hermione's speed dial number he pressed it to his ear quickly before his courage failed. He almost laughed out loud at the way both Harry and Seamus were giving him eager looks, wriggling their fingers together in anticipation. A part of Draco wanted the dial to go straight to voice mail to avoid this acute unpleasantness and then he'd be able to tell Harry and Seamus that he did try but most of him was anxious to hear Hermione's voice again.

"_Hello?_" Draco nearly dropped the phone in surprise when Hermione's voice sounded at the other end, too busy with his internal struggle to notice she answered,

"Em… Hello." He said, rather lamely,

"_Draco? Is that you?_" Draco was now close to panicking, his eyes growing round with fear. He'd dreamed for so long what he'd say to Hermione if and when he called her and now that her voice was on the other side of the line he completely froze. "_Draco, are you there?_"

"Um, yeah," Clearing his throat loudly Draco tried to recompose himself, "How have you been?"

"_Oh, I'm good. You?_" Draco rolled his eyes, yes this was definitely going to take the gold for lamest conversation ever…

"Listen, Hermione, I've been thinking, um… How about we have coffee sometime… You know, just talk about… stuff…" Kill me, kill me now! He begged in his head but unfortunately the two buffoons standing and grinning in front of him were not going to oblige.

"_Oh… Um… Sure… that sounds nice…_" If anything Hermione sounded just as uncomfortable as Draco was feeling but that didn't make him feel any better. "_I'm actually heading over to Harry's shop, maybe we could meet afterwards?_"

"You're coming to the 'Sugardust'?" Draco blurted out before he could stop himself. Seamus' face lit up like a Christmas tree and he jumped up and practically ran to the front of the shop. Draco didn't even have time to protest.

"_Hermione, how lovely to see you!_" Draco could hear Seamus' cheerful voice both on the phone and through the door and he gaped at Harry. "_Oh, hi Seamus…_" Hermione clearly wasn't expecting this puppy dog enthusiasm from her friend and sounded just a tad frightened. Draco couldn't blame her really, he'd always suspected the two were mixing their flour with something altogether unholy and inhaling it- what other explanation was there for their strange behavior? Even mere 'Gryffindor' couldn't explain half of what Harry and Seamus were doing.

Before Draco could say a word the door to the kitchen swung open and a beaming Seamus walked in, his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a slightly confused Hermione who was still holding her phone to her ear. When Draco saw her he jumped out of his seat, his own phone still in hand and looked like he'd rather be swallowed by the floor. There was a confused moment when the two ex lovers tried to figure out what to do with their phones before they settled on hanging up and slipping them back into their pockets. Hermione smiled uneasily while Draco rubbed the back of his neck. Eventually Harry got fed up with his friends' awkwardness.

"Say something!" He snapped, his eagerness getting the better of him.

"Draco. You… look good." Hermione said slowly, trying to sound nonchalant but the fact was, Draco did look good- as usual, which made her feel very self conscious since she had just stepped into the shop from the windy street and her hair was a complete mess. If she'd had known Draco was there she probably would have… Well, in all honest she probably wouldn't have come at all…

"Yeah, you too, Hermione." Draco smiled softly; he loved it when Hermione looked a little mussed up. He knew how much effort she put into making sure her hair was done the right way but he always liked it messy, he wasn't even sure why. Hermione touched her hair and blushed,

"Yeah, well… Um… It's been a while…"

"Yeah." Behind Hermione's back Seamus slid towards Harry, standing next to his partner, and leaned in,

"This is going to take all day isn't it?" Harry nodded and sighed,

"Guys, how about you two go into the break room and chat there, it'll be more comfortable and we won't be in your way." He said brightly as if this was the most natural thing in the world, inviting people to use their break room to solve their issues. Draco and Hermione exchanged an uncertain glance, checking to see how the other was taking the idea.

"Yeah," Seamus said, putting his hands on the couple's shoulders and none too gently pushing them in the right direction, "You've got everything you'll need in there; we'll send cookies once they're ready." Draco and Hermione still looked a little uncertain but Seamus wasn't letting them get away so really they didn't have much of a choice, "Oh, and the condoms are in the top drawer of the nightstand." Hermione's eyes grew wide and round while a delicate blush graced Draco's cheeks. Seamus made a show of realizing his blunder, "Oh, my… Did I say condoms? Silly me, I meant _condoms_. Use them." He deadpanned and shoved the two into the room, closing the door behind him before they had a chance to protest.

"Think they'll use the condoms?" Harry mused out loud and Seamus raised his hands in the air, a slightly revolted expression on his face,

"Harry, I don't even want to think _how_ those two will use them… Hetero sex is just so…"

"Weird…"

"Gross…"

"Yeah…" The two exchanged a dramatic shudder.

"Gods, you two are so gay it's bloody embarrassing." The two men turned to see Mairead walking into the kitchen with an empty tray and an amused expression,

"Mairead, guess what? We've got Hermione and Draco in there talking." Harry said proudly, jerking his thumb in the direction of the break room. Before Mairead had a chance to properly express her awe a girly giggle floated from the room followed by a squeak of bed springs and a deep moan of 'Oh, Draco'.

"So I hear." Mairead's eyes were sparkling with mirth while all the color drained from both Harry and Seamus' faces,

"Ew!" Seamus yelled, "Silencing charms, silencing charms!" Harry was far too shocked to respond and so it fell on the laughing Mairead to provide the necessary protection for her dear cousin's ears.

"Well, it's your fault, Seamus you told them where the condoms are." She told her pouting cousin as she wiped happy tears from her eyes.

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**A/N:** Yay! Hermione and Draco are back together! For the time being of course, you never know with these two…


	45. Chapter 45

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**A/N: **I know I said I'll be back right after the World Cup was over (which was nearly a month ago), but real life seemed to have caught up with me, and then my internet connection failed…

Anyway, I'm just glad and grateful that you're all still here and that you haven't given up on me, thank you so much.

**Beta: Dragon, may she fly free and high!**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Forty-five**

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It had been almost two weeks since that fated phone call Harry and Seamus had forced Draco to make and at the moment the two love birds were somewhere in France, probably rug-camping in front of a roaring fire and feeding each other chocolates and making out.

Harry was glad they were gone, to be truly honest. Not that he wasn't happy for his friends, after all he wouldn't have gone to all that trouble if he didn't want them to be together but as time passed and December rolled closer he had less and less tolerance for other couples. Remus was due to come back from Spain any day now and Harry had no idea if he'd get to see his husband.

Lily had told him about the little chat she, James and Sirius had with Remus and while Harry was glad Remus said he'd return it was clear from Lily's evasiveness that it wasn't at all clear whether Remus would be coming back to _him_. Lily also refused to divulge any information as to what was the cause of Remus leaving in the first place and Harry was quite annoyed when she tried to play mother with him and told him that it was something Remus should tell him himself. The implication that Harry should have called Remus himself and find out what was really going on irked him to no end. How dare Lily suggest it was Harry's fault for not calling Remus when it was Remus who hadn't bothered to pick up a phone or floo powder and contact him? He was the one who'd left!

And so, instead of drowning himself with thoughts about 'what if' and 'how will' he decided to surround himself with other people, with other problems and joys and sadness that would help him forget his own. And since Draco was abroad and not exactly reachable Harry found himself spending more and more time in Seamus' flat or Sirius' cottage. He even stayed behind in Aaron's classes to talk to Snape, it seemed that even the grouchy Potions Master understood Harry's need for company other than his own mind and often indulged him in conversation while Aaron was off to play with Cleo.

Harry knew that Aaron was still adjusting to life without Remus and he forbade anyone to tell the boy anything about Remus. Until Harry wasn't sure himself where things were standing between him and his husband there was no need to involve the already confused boy.

It was Sunday, and that meant Harry and Aaron were having breakfast with Seamus and Adam in the flat above the shop. Aaron loved these Sunday breakfasts, especially when Seamus let him help with making the wafers. Currently Aaron was balancing precariously on a chair trying to see the wafers cook through the machine, Seamus was tilting his head to do the same. Harry thought them both a little silly but cute none the less. He had just turned to Adam to comment on their silliness when the doorbell rang. Adam went to get the door and Harry was distracted by the squeals of joy coming from both Aaron and Seamus at the readiness of the wafers. Moments later Adam returned with Hermione and Draco in toe, both smiling wide and with arms laden.

"'Arry! It iz so good to see you!" Hermione gushed with horrible fake French accent, "We ad ze most wonderful time in Paris!"

"Not talking like that I hope." Seamus muttered as he pretended to have his ears hurt from her accent. Hermione gave him a sweet smile and stuck out her tongue at him. Meanwhile Draco led the way to the table to relieve himself of his burden of cheese and meats they brought with them, much to the delight of Seamus. He already started gushing about French cheese, picking the parcels up and showing Aaron, and letting him smell all of them. Hermione used the commotion and distraction of the others and pulled Harry aside,

"How are you feeling? Are you eating well? Is the baby doing alright? How about we step into the bedroom and I give you a quick once-over." Harry smiled and patted his friend's arm,

"How about you curb your enthusiasm for another two days and then I'll come over to your office for my official check-up? I'm doing great and the baby is doing great as well." Hermione still didn't seem altogether convinced and opened her mouth to protest when Harry cut her off, "Let's just eat, yeah?"

And so, the six of them sat down for breakfast of wafers and French cheese and other delicacies all chatting and laughing. And right in the middle of Hermione's hilarious story of Draco nearly wetting himself with fear when a local girl was hitting on him, the doorbell rang. Draco, quite pink in the face and trying his hardest to be gracious and not kick his girlfriend's arse in front of children decided to get the door.

Grumbling under his breath the blond yanked the door open, and froze at the sight of the man on the other side.

"What do _you_ want?" He snapped, rather rudely. Remus rubbed his forehead, trying to hold on to the remains of his calmness. It'd been a harrowing morning for him. He'd just gotten back from Spain and all he wanted was to see his family. His first stop had been 'Rose Cottage' which was completely deserted and bereft of life, followed by a quick stop at Sirius' place to ask his friend where Harry was, which led him to the Malfoy Manor. But over there the quite resenting house elves informed him that his husband and son were to be found here on Seamus' apartment. Remus just hoped they were because he was starting to develop quite a migraine.

"I want to talk to Harry." Draco crossed his arms over his chest, contemplating what to do- on one hand; Harry sure could use the closure and would probably love to see Remus again. On the other hand, this was the man who drove Harry away from his own home and made his life miserable and in consequence, Draco's as well…

"Harry doesn't want to talk to you." He said with one of his disarming smiles. Remus clenched his jaw, wanting nothing more than to pummel the arrogant, smarmy blond in front of him. Luckily for both the freckled face of Seamus popped from behind Draco's shoulder at that moment,

"Well, well well, look what the cat dragged in…" He drawled, his Irish brogue making the words slur a little. Draco and Remus both started at him, "Don't just stand there like a potted plant!" Seamus snapped, "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Mister!"

"Seamus!" Draco hissed, "You can't let him in!" Seamus turned to his friend, not even bothering to lower his voice so that Remus wouldn't hear,

"Draco, he's still Harry's husband and Harry deserves a couple of answers." He said meaningfully while pulling the stunned and enraged Draco away from the door to allow Remus to walk in. Remus did his best to avoid rolling his eyes as he followed the two to the kitchen. "Look who we found at the door!" Seamus announced joyfully. Harry looked up, and he could swear his heart stopped. The rest of the room watched Harry carefully but he didn't notice. Remus, Remus was here, really really here…

Before Harry could react a ball of black hair nearly crashed with Remus' kneecaps, the man's only warning was a shrill cry of 'Dad!' Remus bent over to pick Aaron up, spinning him around and hugging him tight. Harry still sat frozen, looking at the two of them but unable to snap out of his stupor.

"Hm, I think we'll just head out, we've still got a lot of unpacking to do…" Hermione said apologetically, patting Harry's shoulder softly as she stood up. "It's good to see you Remus. Lets' go, Draco." Remus nodded at her with a little smile, but Draco stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest,

"I'm not leaving Harry with _him_." He jerked his head towards Remus

"Draco," Hermione said in a menacing tone, "I think Harry can handle his own husband just fine, now shift it!" Without letting Draco say a word she grabbed his arm and led him out of the room towards the living room fireplace. The couple argued with hushed voices all the way until the fireplace whooshed to life.

Seamus looked torn as to what to do himself, he really wanted to give Harry and Remus some room to work their issues, but it was still his place… He looked helplessly at his own boyfriend, seeking out advice. Adam smiled,

"How about Shay and I take Aaron to the park or something, and leave you two to talk things out." He suggested brightly, reaching out to Aaron who pouted and refused to let Remus go. Remus whispered a few words into his son's ear, and eventually the boy nodded and allowed Adam to take him.

Once the room cleared Remus finally looked at his husband, who sat the whole time by the table and hadn't said a word. Remus stepped fully into the kitchen, feeling rather nervous. It was one thing to have Aaron jump at him, which was fun but it was another altogether to have Harry simply staring into space as if someone froze the frame.

"You look good." Harry's head snapped at the sound of Remus' voice and he looked over at his husband, blinking. For some reason the words made him want to laugh out loud. He smiled and slowly pushed his chair back, rising to his feet and straightening up, his baby bump proudly displayed through his denim overalls. Remus gasped, the reality of the situation smacking him down like a blow to the face,

"Not so good then…" Harry tried to smile but the gasp was making him feel very self-conscious and nervous all of a sudden. When Remus left there wasn't any outward sign of his state, and now… "Humm, would you like some cheese?" He asked, raking his hand through his hair, and started fiddling with the wrapper of the nearest cheese, which happened to be a camembert and not looking at Remus, "Hermione and Draco decided to deplete France of it, it seems…" He knew he was babbling and he hated himself for it- this was Remus, the man he'd been in love with for the past decade, the man whose baby he was carrying for heaven's sake!

"Harry…" Harry lifted his head only to find Remus standing right in front of him. His heart was thumping so loudly it physically hurt. Remus cupped his cheek, his fingers so warm they were almost scalding, and he leaned forward. Harry closed his eyes and let himself melt into the kiss, gods it'd been so long, and so lonely he didn't even care why Remus left in the first place.

"I missed you so much…" Remus whispered against Harry's lips, the brunet melting against him, "You and Aaron…" Harry froze. Him and Aaron… Missing him and Aaron… Just him and Aaron? No one else? Not, say, _a baby_? Pushing Remus away he took a step back, his jaw suddenly set in a hard manner. Remus looked at him, confused, "Harry what's wrong?"

"Me and Aaron?" Harry let out a small, almost crazed, laugh, "I can't believe I just let you kiss me like that! I can't believe I was so desperate for human contact I just let you!" Racking his hands through his hair again Harry moved around the table, heading out of the kitchen and into the living room, knowing that Remus would follow even if he didn't understand fully Harry's change of pace.

"Look at me, Remus!" He said, turning to face the man, "There is no longer just me and Aaron, and as much as you try to ignore it, there's _this_!" He pointed at his protruding stomach. Remus sat heavily down on the sofa, his eyes lowered to his fingers. "Remember why you left? Huh? Do you? Because I remember perfectly! And guess what, nothing changed!" Harry started pacing the length of the living room, he was on the roll, and boy did it feel good! To get everything out, all the things he'd wanted to say to Remus for the last four months, all the frustrations and anger and injustice of the whole situation. It was all pouring out and flooding Remus.

"I am so angry with you right now…" Harry shook his head to himself, "And you know why? It's not so much that you left me without an explanation, causing your son to go into such a relapse he can't sleep alone, even after four months. It's not that you drove me out of my own home and move to the Manor, I don't care about all that. It's that you don't even care. What did you come back for? So that I can forgive you and give you my blessing to move on? Because that isn't going to happen!"

"I don't want your blessing to move on." Remus said quietly, his eyes still cast down. Harry stopped his furious pacing and crossed his arms over his chest, looking suspiciously at Remus,

"Then what do you want?"

"To make amends." Harry snorted in disbelief,

"Oh really? So now, all of a sudden you're on board with things? You're reconciled with the fact you're going to be a father again in four months?" When Remus still refused to lift his eyes he snorted again, "Yeah, I didn't think so…"

"Harry, do you remember what my Boggart is?" Harry opened and closed his mouth several times, quite thrown off by the unexpected question,

"Hum, th- the full moon. What does that have to do with anything?"

"And what does the full moon stands for?" Harry had a strange feeling, he felt like he was in the middle of an oral exam, it was a strange feeling after so long and he had a sudden urge to sit on the edge of his seat and raise his hand politely.

"The night you transform." He barely resisted the urge to add 'sir'.

"Yes, but not only. That full moon represents everything that is vile and wrong about this… curse I have." Remus finally looked up, his eyes meeting his confused husband's. "I've been living with this… thing for almost as long as I can remember myself, I see people flinch and cower in fear once they find out what I am. I've been denied proper employment and proper chances to make my life whole and I keep being denied. This job in Spain, that wasn't a 'dream job' or anything but it was something I could do and I wanted so bad to prove that I can be useful. Because I hate feeling incapacitated and weak."

"You're not weak and you've got a whole life…" Harry said weakly, "You've got a family and friends and…"

"I still need to fight every day for things that are trivial for normal people, and so does Aaron, hell he can't even get into a proper school!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Harry was genuinely perplexed at that point. How did he go from being so mad he was ready to thump Remus to this?

"I don't want my children to have to fight the way I do." A thought suddenly struck Harry,

"Wait, you think our baby will be a werewolf?" Remus nodded silently and Harry dropped heavily into a nearby chair. So _that's_ what it was all about? "Why would you think that?"

"Because it was conceived under the full moon, what else will it be?"

"She."

"What?"

"She, we're having a girl." Harry smiled softly, his hand automatically reaching to caress his baby bump. Remus smiled softly, it was so amazing, that look on Harry's face. It was something that Remus wished he'd be able to look at and not feel guilty. Gods, he'd give anything to be able not to feel guilty whenever he thought about the baby. A girl, they were going to have a girl…

"We don't know if she'll be a werewolf." Remus looked up, startled,

"What?"

"Hermione says we can't tell if the baby is a werewolf until birth but she's fairly confident she won't be."

"How can she tell?" Gods, if only that was true for certain…

"It's Hermione; she's done some extensive research." Harry shrugged, he'd known Hermione since he was eleven years old, he knew what she was capable of, and to what length she'd go to know the things she wanted to know. And if she said that the chances of his baby being a werewolf are slim to none, he believed her whole heartedly. Remus sighed, he wished he had that sort of confidence in Hermione- sure she was smart and she no doubt did the research Harry said she did, but what if she was wrong?

"Look, Remus, I'm sorry things got so out of hand because we were both too stubborn to talk them out," Harry said softly, finally coming to sit next to Remus, "But right now this is how things stand, I can't get rid of the baby even if I wanted to, it's too late. We need to figure out how to proceed from here." Taking a deep breath Harry tried to sound collected and calm but his insides were churning with uncertainty, "Are you um… Are you going to um, stay in England?"

"The last four months were the hardest in my life, I hated Spain. It was pure torture." Remus answered heavily and Harry felt a little smile tugging at his lips. He tried to hide it but it felt good to know that Remus had a hard time as well.

"I thought Spain was supposed to be beautiful and friendly." Remus chuckled softly,

"It is, but not when you're alone and all you can think about is home and every dark haired guy in the streets remind you of your husband. Why couldn't Arthur have sent me to Scandinavia?" Now it was Harry's turn to grin. "I want to stay here and work on things, I missed you so badly, I don't think I can carry on without you." Harry's heart melted, because as much as he wanted to stay mad at Remus and make him work for his forgiveness he was also realistic enough to know that he needed Remus just as much as Remus needed him, and it wasn't just for the baby's sake. Leaning over he placed a soft kiss on Remus' lips, rubbing his shaggy head on his husband's shoulder,

"Good, I'm glad you said that. And your first order of business is to shag me." Remus let out a surprised chuckle; this wasn't exactly what he'd been expecting… "Come on Remus! You decided to hop across the channel in the most inappropriate time! You left me here hornier than I've ever been before with no proper means to relieve myself. I just got hard watching _Draco and Hermione_ snog!" Both men cringed uneasily, "So, as my husband you have a duty to shag me, right now!" Taking Harry's face in his hands Remus brought their lips together, kissing Harry like a starved man, poor Harry…

"Wait," He panted when they broke apart, "Maybe we should find a more appropriate place, what if Seamus and Adam come back, what if _Aaron_ comes back?" Harry rolled his eyes; thought Remus did have a point. Getting to his feet he tugged Remus hand and the older man followed him to the fireplace.

A couple of hours and about six orgasms later Remus got up from the huge bed that was Harry's in Malfoy Manor. He kissed Harry's forehead as he put his clothes on, whispering to his boneless, sated husband that he was off to pick Aaron up and disappeared through the floo. Harry stretched himself languidly before he rolled off the bed, pulling one of the bed sheets with him to wrap around himself and went to sit down on the window sill.

Biting his lip Harry watched as soft snow began to fall outside. Remus was back, he said he wanted to work on things, he'd accepted that the baby was a done deal… Then why couldn't Harry just feel pure bliss? Just be happy and grateful? There was something nagging at him and he just couldn't put his finger on it…

Stroking his baby bump Harry tried to get rid of the uneasy feeling when it struck him. Not once since Remus came back had he voluntarily touched his baby bump…


	46. Chapter 46

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**A/N: **I know some of you think I'm being too lenient with Remus and that Harry shouldn't take him back in the first place but the thing is- despite everything Harry still loves Remus and he needs him because though I never tried it myself I can imagine it can't be easy dealing with two small children on your own.

Besides, it's not like Remus left because he doesn't want to be with Harry and Aaron and the baby, he's just scared.

**Beta: Dragon, may she fly free and high!**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Forty-six**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

At first Harry tried to give Remus time, telling himself that his husband was still adjusting to being back from Spain. They had moved their lives back to 'Rose Cottage' and Aaron was learning to sleep alone in his own bed again. The boy was just too happy to have both his parents' home and loving him to care about much else. And that was just how Harry wanted it.

But as Christmas approached Harry grew more uneasy. Remus was playing the role of the loving husband, doting father and good friend perfectly and anyone looking on the outside would have thought they had the perfect life, but Harry knew different. Remus said he was working on his issues with the baby but to Harry it felt like once again Remus was ignoring the problem. A part of Harry had to admire Remus for being able to do that when evidence so clearly stared him in the face but mostly he was lost on how to tackle the problem. He didn't want to scare Remus away again.

"Harry, I have something to ask you." Harry turned, frowning, from the stove where he had just finished stirring the stew for dinner. Remus stood in the doorway, looking a little uncomfortable.

"What is it?"

"My Spanish assistant/translator wants to come over for Christmas, and I wondered if it'll be alright if we have him over." Harry frowned again, sighing. He didn't feel like new people right now, not in his current state. He barely even moved beyond the wards of his home, his friends' homes and his shop nowadays- and when he did venture into the outer world it was under the cover of heavy glamours, the last thing he needed was making the front page of the papers. And now this new person he heard absolutely nothing about before that moment…

"Who is this person?" Think very careful about the answer Remus and it better be a very old lady with severe eye-sight issues and deaf in one ear!

"Miguel was the translator the Spanish Ministry assigned for me. He was really great," And he doesn't sound anything like an old blind and deaf lady… "And now he wants to come to England to 'experience real winter'. So I thought he could stay here." Harry turned back to the stove taking a deep breath, his insides were churning with anger, and he couldn't even say why.

"I think he should stay at the Manor. There's not enough space here." Remus watched Harry's back for a long moment, before he sighed,

"As you wish. I'll go talk to Draco." Harry waited until he heard his husband leave the room before he let out the air in his lungs. What the hell was wrong with him? This wasn't him, this wasn't how he wanted to be- all suspicious and jealous… Gods, he hasn't been this jealous since… since before they got together for the first time, when he used to watch Remus flirt with all those boys back in Hogwarts. He hated being that guy but he couldn't help it. Damn hormones. And damn Remus.

As Harry found out soon enough Christmas wasn't the best time of year for bakers. Sure the money was great- they've made in a day what they made in a month on a regular season but the workload was almost crushing. Seamus and Mairead tried to take up as much as they could to let Harry get more rest but it was still rather hellish. As a result Harry was hardly home for a fortnight, sometimes he and Seamus even slept in the break room. Harry couldn't wait for Christmas Eve to finally come- they've decided that no matter what the shop would be closed on Christmas Day, they just hoped that most people were too busy with presents and families to notice.

When finally they managed to shove the last of the costumers out on Christmas Eve's afternoon all three employees of the 'Sugardust' were ready to drop. Each of them fantasized about a long hot bath and a good night sleep, but that was not to be in the cards for them for they all had to make an appearance at Malfoy Manor for the traditional Christmas dinner. If they didn't, well, I'd really hate to be in their shoes facing the wrath of Draco Malfoy…

Remus, Harry and Aaron stepped into the foyer of the Manor, which was decorated lavishly with garlands and holly. A house elf bowed to them and led them to the sitting room where drinks were to be taken before the meal. As soon as they stepped in Draco pounced on them with a child like enthusiasm and glee. It was hard for Harry to be upset when he saw the blond man bouncing around and he decided to put his worries aside for one night and just enjoy the festivities. Besides, he knew very well that if he started a fight on Christmas Eve Draco would hex his balls off for stealing away attention.

"Harry, come and meet Miguel." Draco cried out, pulling Harry with him before the brunet had a chance to protest. Miguel looked nothing like Harry imagined- in fact, it was much worse. The man was a god! Tall and olive skinned, with bleached blond hair that did nothing to cheapen his appearance the Spaniard smiled at Harry, his dark eyes sparkling,

"Harry, it is so good to finally meet you!" He cried his voice melodious and his accent musical. Harry wanted to hate him so badly… "Remus told me so much about you, he never stops talking about you, you are so lucky." Harry tried to smile, feeling rather ashamed for being so upset with Remus these last couple of weeks, and then angry with himself for letting a total stranger shake the foundations of his feelings. "And a baby…" Miguel was gushing now, not even waiting for Harry to say a word, "That is so incredible, can I…?" He indicated with his hand to the baby bump, catching Harry off guard,

"Hmm, yeah, sure." Miguel leaned over and placed his hands over the bump, cooing happily and above his head Harry caught Remus' encouraging smile. Harry returned a shaky smile back, feeling the happiness sipping away again. Remus came over to grab Miguel and introduce him to the other guests and Draco came behind his friend,

"He's great isn't he? I can't believe Remus was keeping him a secret all this time…" Before Harry had a chance to respond Draco's arm was grabbed tightly and he was whisked off to the corner by Hermione. Harry looked at them, great, even Hermione felt sorry for him. Why was this so difficult? Why couldn't he just smile and be friendly like everyone else, and why in Merlin's balls even someone he met a minute ago could do something his own husband couldn't?

During dinner things got worse, Miguel as it turned out was the touchy-feely sort, and Remus, who was seated next to him, not only didn't mind the extra attention but actually seemed to enjoy it. As did Draco, on Miguel's other side but Harry didn't care about him right now. He was seething, stabbing at his food viciously and feeling rather sorry for himself.

Eventually he got fed up with pretending to eat and rose from his seat, pushing his chair back loudly. The entire table stopped and stared at him and Harry suddenly felt a little self conscious. He put his napkin down, straightening it with an embarrassed smile and cleared his throat,

"I'm going to have a little lie-down." Without glancing around he marched to the door, closing it behind him. He waited a couple of seconds to see if Hermione might follow, but from the lack of her presence he figured she was privy to the same show as he was. And if she didn't feel the need to rush over and make sure everything was alright with him and the baby then she didn't like Miguel's hands all over her partner anymore than he did.

Going up to his old room he threw himself on the bed and stared at the ceiling, he wondered how long it was going to take Remus to show up and see what was wrong. A part of him wanted it to be a long time so that he'd have another thing to bitch about but mostly he just wanted Remus to come up and talk to him. The situation between them was not healthy and Harry knew that Remus was feeling it too, after all the man was much more astute when it came to other people's state of mind than Harry was.

A soft knock came and Harry sat up in bed, looking towards the door suspiciously, wondering if it was indeed Remus or perhaps Hermione. The door cracked open and Remus' tawny head appeared through it.

"Can I come in?" Harry nodded, pushing himself to the edge of the bed and rising slowly to his feet. Even though his baby bump wasn't very big, he found it a lot more difficult to maneuver into certain positions. "You left in such a hurry, are you feeling alright?" Harry came to a stop in front of his spouse, pulling himself to his full height and blurted,

"Are you having an affair with Miguel?" Remus' eyes popped out in shock, his jaw dropping and his entire stance stunned. He wanted to make sure Harry was doing fine, and then maybe slip downstairs for another cup of eggnog; he did not expect _this_…

"Excuse me? Are you being serious?" Harry crossed his arms over his chest, his features set,

"Just answer the question!"

"No!" Remus flung his hands up in the air, this was not happening, this was _not_ happening! "Why would you think I am having an affair?"

"You seemed awfully chummy during dinner." Harry stated with a shrug, his voice cold and hard. Remus wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry, this whole conversation was utterly ridiculous.

"I have never cheated on you, _ever_. This… _You_ are being completely ridi…" Remus stopped himself before he said something that would be detrimental to his already fragile relationship and possibly his health. Instead he took a deep breath, "Ok, obviously this is not about Miguel, what's going on here?" Harry shrugged again and turned his back on Remus, going over to stand by the window. Remus bit his lip; he knew he was treading on thin ice here and that he needed to proceed with cautious. He didn't really sign up for Harry turning into a complete basket case when pregnant, that was not in the plan… Approaching Harry he slowly wrapped his arms around the shoulders of his spouse. "What is it Cailean, talk to me…"

"I hate this." Harry confessed lowly, feeling his body losing its rigidity under Remus' touch despite his emotions. "I hate being that guy, who's always angry and jealous." Remus nuzzled the soft skin of Harry's neck,

"Then don't be, this isn't you anyway." Harry let out a small chuckle, shrugging Remus' arms off and turning to face his husband,

"You make me this way!" He cried, "You and your 'head in the sand' attitude!" Remus gawked at him again; this mercurial mood shifting was making his head spin.

"Harry…" He started, not knowing what to say, but as it turned out it didn't much matter as Harry was gearing up once more for a full blowout,

"No, Remus! I've had enough of this! We are a family, as much as you think you can ignore the parts of it you don't like, we are a family. You, and me and Aaron and this baby, yes, I've said it again, _baby_!" Remus wanted to roll his eyes but years of experience of dealing with an angry Harry kept him at bay, "I know you said you're working on it and everything but the truth is you're not. You just keep pretending that if you didn't touch the baby bump or relate to it in any way it'll go away."

"It's not that simple…" Remus groused through his teeth, why couldn't Harry understand? Why couldn't he just… give him more time?

"No, it's not. Not when even a complete stranger that I met today for the first time can do something that you, whom I've known and loved for years can't."

"That's the big deal?" Remus cried, throwing his hands up, "That's what's going to make it all better? Me touching your stomach?"

"No! But it's a start!" Harry was pissed, royally pissed! Remus was being deliberately obtuse, gods he hated when Remus did that. "How the hell do you think you're going to come over your issues regarding the baby when you don't even try to bond with her? Remus, let's face it, it doesn't matter whether she's a werewolf or not, she's still going to be your daughter and if you can't relate to her now, you will never be able to later." Harry's tone was sad and he could feel his eyes smarting up. He really, really didn't want to have to choose between his husband and child but if Remus carried on like this…

"I… I can't… I need to think…" Remus rubbed his forehead, feeling completely helpless. This was an ultimatum, Harry had just dropped an ultimatum at his feet and it was Remus' turn to decide whether he was going to take it or walk away from his life as he knew it. He needed to get out of that room, he needed fresh air, to clear his head and think, he needed to think. Remus walked blindly to the door, putting his hand on the knob when Harry's quiet voice stopped him,

"I don't care what the baby is going to be, and I could never hate you if she is a werewolf. I just need you to be able to look her in the eye and not hate her or feel guilty." Remus nodded, opening the door and stepping out. His head was spinning so fast it was hard to see where he was going. Not bothering with a cloak he stumbled through the front doors and into the gardens.

The shock of cold air hit him like a fist. The house was warmed up to a pleasant degree and he managed to forget completely that it was the end of December and the temperature was just below freezing. Pulling out his wand he cast a warming charm on himself, not strong enough to stave the cold completely, as the cold air helped him clear his mind, but warm enough so that the others wouldn't have to venture out and bring back his frozen with hypothermia body in a few minutes.

The Malfoy Manor gardens were rather dark at night, the neatly trimmed hedges stood white and silent. The whole place was eerily quiet and Remus' instincts guided him to stay close to the lit windows and not stray too deep into the shadows. He found a small gazebo nearby, not too far from the light and not too shadowy, and with a flick of his wand cleared all the snow from the benches and weaved some more warming charms through the small wooden building.

"Mind if I join you?" Remus looked up in surprise, he wasn't expecting anyone, and he figured he'd hear their steps on the snow if someone joined him. But then again, ghosts didn't really walk. With a nod he invited his friend inside. James floated into the gazebo and made to sit next to Remus, his corporal body hovering in the air. He hasn't spoken to Remus since that fire call to Spain and Remus hasn't spoken to him.

While he was still mad at the werewolf for ditching his son, James understood his reasoning. Which made it a lot more difficult to accept them. For a long time the two sat in silence, each absorbed in his own thoughts when James finally heaved a sigh that seemed to shake the very foundation of him,

"I'm sorry." Remus glanced sideways in surprise, trying to hide his smile. It must have cost James an arm and a leg to say those words.

"Lily made you come over didn't she?"

"No!" James managed to keep the offended look for nearly full five seconds before he caved in, "Yeah, a little…" Remus chuckled, good old Lils. "But we need to talk." James turned to face Remus, who looked at him with a surprised expression on his face, James was never one to talk, talking was Lily's department and James was usually more than happy to leave that to his wife, this must be really serious then. "Look, I am sorry that I yelled at you, back when you were in Spain, but I'm not sorry for what I said because I was right and you know it. Do you honestly think that ignoring the problem will make it go away? You of all people should know better."

"Why do I always have to know better? Just because you and Sirius can't be buggered to ever think for yourselves doesn't mean I need to know better all the time!" Remus argued, gods he was tired of everyone thinking he was playing around, he had right to have feelings just as the next person and just like them he had a right to know what was right and not being able to accept it!

"Then you admit we have a problem then?" Remus' jaw dropped, did James, _James Potter_ of all people just tricked him? That was humiliating… Not to mention annoying because he never thought James had it in him. Clearly death was taking a toll on the man, and the fact that the only person he saw all day was Lily. Gods, if James started to get smarter after death Remus would have to seriously consider breaking ties with him! Too bad he hadn't thought about it before becoming the man's son in law- which was a whole different kind of humiliating. Shaking his head to clear it Remus pursed his lips and avoided James' gaze.

"You know what I used to do when Lily was preggers?" Remus shrugged, knowing full well he was behaving like a petulant child but right now he didn't care. James chose to ignore the big baby next to him, "I used to talk to Harry every night. Apparently magical children have a strong sense of what's going on around them and they can feel other people magical signatures, especially those of their biological parents. Lily did a whole research on this." Remus was still looking right ahead but James could tell he was listening intently. "Anyway, I think the best way for you to bond with the baby is talk to her. Do you know what Lily and I would give to be able to get close enough to our son to be able to touch our granddaughter? Or even just hug the people we love? You are selfish Remus, and it's about time you stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about your family!" Rising from his place James shot a final glare at Remus before zooming into the dark.


	47. Chapter 47

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Beta: Dragon, may she fly free and high!**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Forty-seven**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

For a long time Remus just sat there in the gazebo, thinking. His entire family was pressuring him with this decision, and now he was back in England nothing stopped James and Lily and Sirius from reminding him daily of his cowardice. He hated being so weak, and he hated that they kept shining a light on said weakness. He just wanted things to go back to the way they used to be, before everything became so complicated.

At long last the heating charms began to fade and Remus could feel the cold seeping through. Instead of renewing them he decided to shake his frozen with immobility limbs and return to the house. Harry must have gone to bed hours ago and so must everyone else. Making his way quietly through the house Remus could feel a shiver running up and down his spine, gods the Manor was creepy in the dead of night.

Entering his and Harry's room Remus could make out the shape of his husband buried under a mound of covers. He smiled softly, whenever Harry was alone in bed he used to burrow under a mountain of duvets and blankets, always claiming to be cold. Whenever Remus was in bed too, Harry would gravitate towards the heat his husband spread, Remus was the best heat source. Changing into his pyjamas the older man slithered under the covers, holding his wand up and lighting the end and looked critically at the baby bump. Normally Harry liked to sleep on his stomach, his head under a pillow but since he got pregnant he couldn't do that anymore and therefore started to sleep on his back, leaving a clear view for Remus.

Reaching his hand hesitantly he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, placing his hand on the little mound of Harry's stomach. For a long moment nothing happened, only the soft and steady rising and falling of Harry's breath, but suddenly Remus felt a ripple spreading under his fingers. He quickly pulled his hand away,

"Wow…" He cried softly. This was real, this was really real. There was a baby in there, his baby and it was moving, no- _she_ was moving, and kicking his hand. Gathering his courage he reached again and placed his hand in the same place. He waited, holding his breath until the baby kicked again. This time he didn't pull his hand but caressed the soft skin with his fingers, imagining his little girl inside placing her tiny palm against his.

"Your granddaddy says I should talk to you." He whispered to the mound, "But that feels a little daft, doesn't it?" The baby kicked his hand softly again as if to contradict him. Remus laughed softly, resting his chin on his other fist while he continued to caress the skin of Harry's stomach. "Alright, you want me to talk, then I'll talk. Hi, I'm Remus, I'm your dad, well, your other dad, the one you're not inside." Sighing, Remus rolled his eyes at himself, this was silly, he was being silly, but the baby was kicking again and Remus took it as a sign she was listening,

"Anyway, as you're soon about to find out, I'm a werewolf, just like your brother is. That means we're turning into something else during full moons. I don't mean to scare you too soon but you're going to have to learn to deal with it very early in life, and I'm terribly sorry to have to put you through this and Merlin's my witness I hope you never have to suffer such a fate." Lowering his head Remus blinked hard, feeling a sting in his eyes, gods he didn't want to have to deal with all this, he didn't want any of his children to have to deal with this. Taking a deep breath he cleared his throat,

"Let's talk about something less depressing, how about I tell you about who's waiting for you out here. Yeah, I know, it might make you want to stay in there forever but still. There's your grandparents, and don't get me wrong because they're my best friends and all, but they are insane. And I'm not sure in the good sense… Oh, and they are ghosts. Yes, you're coming into one healthy family I'll have you know. It almost sounds like the start of a bad joke, a ghost and a werewolf, and all that's missing is a vampire. I guess your uncle Severus could fill that role, but don't tell him I said that- he'll have my bullocks for earrings. Shit, I didn't mean to say bullocks… Wait, am I even allowed to say shit to you?" Remus rubbed his forehead, trying to regain his bearings while the baby kicked softly again. Remus chose to believe she was okay with him saying stuff like shit and bullocks, but he was quite glad Harry was fast asleep all the same.

Making himself a little more comfortable and arranging the blankets so that his head was poking out but they still covered Harry Remus continued telling his little baby girl stories of the people who were anxiously waiting for her arrival on the outside, until his voice grew hoarse and his eyelids became too heavy.

Harry stirred, opening his eyes slowly. He had forgotten to close the curtains last night and now the morning light was washing the room, accentuated by the white snow outside. Turning his head to the left he sighed, Remus' pillow was empty. Harry could feel his heart sink, so Remus didn't come to bed last night, which means he has not forgiven Harry's paranoid accusations. Harry moved to stretch and get out of bed in search of Remus when his leg connected with a solid mass. Looking down he could see a lump under the covers, with bits of tawny hair sticking out. With a soft smile Harry slowly lifted the cover, trying to move as little as possible to reveal Remus' face, pressed against the side of his stomach.

The cold air hit Remus' face and he groaned a little. Pushing his face closer to Harry's stomach he rubbed his nose in the soft skin, causing Harry to jump a little at the tickling sensation and chuckle. Harry ran his fingers through Remus' hair, trying to wake his husband gently. Remus' eyes blinked open and he lifted his head, a childish pout on his lips for being woken up.

"What are you doing down there?" Harry asked softly, while Remus wriggled his way up to lay face to face with his spouse.

"I was talking to the baby." He answered with a croaked whisper. Rubbing his sore throat Remus tried to clear it but the scratchiness remained. Harry smiled and caressed his cheek,

"Thank you." Remus shrugged a little self consciously, but smiled none the less.

"I can't wait for her to show up; I'm going to teach her everything I know." He said with a glint in his eye that had Harry groaning,

"Oh no, you're going to turn her into a marauder…" He lamented, only half joking,

"Yep!" Remus answered cheerfully, "Everything we didn't get a chance to teach you is going to pass on to our daughter." Harry rolled his eyes,

"Do I even have a say in this?" Remus pretended to think about it,

"I'm not sure…" Harry pretended to be deeply hurt, "If you'll resist then no, but if you cooperate then sure, why not."

"Just because Sirius and my parents are crazier than you don't mean you can turn an innocent baby into one of you guys!"

"Harry, please," Remus snorted, "She's _my _daughter and Lily and James' granddaughter, she's hardly innocent, even now…" Harry bit his lip, he was so happy Remus was finally coming to terms with being a father he really didn't want to raise the question he so desperately needed an answer to. Remus caressed Harry's face, smiling softly. Poor Harry, it wasn't fair to him really, the way he's been going. After all, Harry was right, Remus had as much to do with their current predicament as Harry did. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Harry lifted his eyes, a little puzzled at the abrupt change in the conversation,

"I'm sorry I dumped all of this on you and took off. I didn't mean to leave you to deal with everything alone; I just couldn't think straight, I panicked." Harry brushed some stray hair from Remus' face, leaning over to kiss his nose gently,

"I know Pookybear, I know." Remus rolled his eyes at the name and Harry grinned, "Look, it doesn't matter why you left, or how you came back, the only thing I care about is that you are dealing with your issues."

"I'm working on it. I promise." Harry smiled affectionately at Remus before stretching his limbs as far as they would go.

"What time is it?" Remus glanced at the clock on the nightstand,

"Almost six thirty."

"It's nearly time then." Harry turned to his back and pushed himself up the pillows with some effort,

"Time for what?" Remus hated being out of the loop, and it seems Harry had developed some new habits since he left,

"This." Harry said with a smile, pointing at the door. And indeed within seconds the heavy door was pushed open and a little shaggy head appeared at the bottom. Upon seeing that his parents were both awake Aaron raced the length of the room and jumped, spread eagled on the bed. He crawled his way up to Harry to give him a good morning kiss, and then one to Remus before he settled near Harry's naval and started his morning conversation with his baby sister.

"How long has he been doing this?" Remus asked, quite amazed and slightly envious to see how easy and natural talking to a mound of flesh was for Aaron,

"Ever since I started showing and he realized there really is a baby in there." Harry responded with a smile while he carded his fingers through Aaron's dark mane. "Only usually I get up far too early for him to do that in the mornings so he does that before going to bed, but on weekends and holidays he likes to wake her up."

Remus lay pensive, watching his family interact. Harry and Aaron made it all seem so easy, so faultless and he suddenly felt quite a prat for reacting so strongly. Right there at this moment in time, on Christmas morning Remus realized, he didn't care what the baby turned out to be, as long as she was happy and loved.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** I don't know how many of you seen/heard of the British TV series 'Being Human' but basically it's a ghost, a werewolf and a vampire sharing a flat. Yeah I know, it sounds really dumb but it's a great series and you just have to love Russell Tovey… If you happen to catch it- watch it. It's great fun.


	48. Chapter 48

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**A/N: **I want to take a moment to thank Ex-Mentis for her truly brilliant suggestions in the baby names department. I don't want to spoil the fun too soon so a full credit list is in the end of the chapter. Cheers girl.

**Beta: Dragon, because she's simply the best. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Forty-eight**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

At long last, when it became obvious that staying in bed all day was not an option, as Draco pounded their door demanding they come down to breakfast so that they can open the bloody presents already, Harry, Remus and Aaron made their way down to the dining room to join the others.

After a hearty breakfast, the whole company relocated to the living room, where the tree was erected and the presents stowed. The tree had been Draco's pride and joy; it was enormous, bigger even than the ones Hagrid used to grow for the Christmas festivities in Hogwarts. Standing at approximately thirty feet high and covered from trunk to treetop with decorations the whole thing shone so brightly it was hard to look straight at it when the room was fully lit.

Remus reclined on a love-seat, wrapped tightly around his husband, with his hand resting protectively on Harry's stomach. The brunet, on his part, was beaming benevolently at the room, glowing with happiness and generally spreading an aura of good-will towards the rest of the world. He watched as the kids (i.e. Draco and Seamus) took over distributing the presents and making sure each one of them got to its rightful owner.

Lily watched her son with a smile. She was mightily glad that he and Remus had worked out their differences, because if things didn't change soon she was forced to take action, and although a part of her was disappointed she wouldn't get to float through Remus now she was nevertheless happy that the couple had worked out their problems. Floating over to where Harry and Remus were sitting she hovered crossed legged in front of them,

"So, Harry, now that the big oaf here has finally dug his head out of his arse," Remus made a rude gesture at her, trying to hide it behind Harry's back so that Aaron and Cleo didn't catch it. Lily ignored him, "We need to discuss baby names." Harry rolled his eyes, his mother had been pestering him about that for ages now, and since his excuse of not wanting to make any decisions without Remus was not valid anymore there was nothing stopping Lily from trying to push any gods awful names his way. Sometimes Harry wondered if it was all worth it- having ghost parents, they were just so… hand full!

"Lily, please," He groaned, "There's plenty of time for that later!"

"I've always fancied the name Lorelei." Sirius piped up wistfully. Remus looked revolted,

"No way! That's a terrible name." Harry nodded his agreement. He was just about to open his mouth to change the subject before it turned into a naming fest which included the entire room when Lily quickly jumped in, reading his intentions correctly,

"I think that you should call her Isidora. It's elegant and refined."

"Mum!" Harry cried, "Stop with the Isidore shit! It didn't work then and it's certainly not going to work now!"

"Not to mention the poor kid will never make it through the first day of kindergarten with that name…" Tonks mused, snorting to herself in amusement, while Lily shot her a baleful glare,

"Holly shit, I remember now…" Sirius mused, "You wanted to name Harry Isidore when he was born… Fuck, Lily what the hell were you thinking?" Lily shrugged non-committed while the rest of the room burst into laughter.

"Oh excuse me; at least she didn't suggest naming her son Goderic!" James came out to his wife's defense,

"What? Goderic is cool, and Harry's entire family was Gryffindor so it makes sense. Besides, at least I showed a tiny bit more imagination than you, Mr. let's name my son after myself so he'd get a bloody number!" James narrowed his eyes at his best friend,

"It's traditional!" He snapped, "Besides, we would have called him Jaime not James two!"

"All I can say is that you were damn lucky Remus was there." Severus drawled, and Harry frowned at him.

"What do you mean?" He asked suspiciously, while around him his parents, Sirius and Remus were gesturing wildly for Severus to shut up. But not a man like Severus Snape was likely to do so when such a great opportunity presented itself.

"You didn't know?" He asked with feigned surprise, "It was your darling husband here that named you." The four marauders slapped their foreheads and Remus mimicked a throat slashing at Severus as Harry turned to Remus with hard eyes,

"What the hell is he on about?" Before Remus could answer, Draco piped up,

"I think Jaime is a great name, it works for both girls and boys. You should name your baby Jaime it'll be a great way to remember how you fell in love and all…" Harry turned his eyes from his husband to his best friend, looking a little confused,

"We can't name the baby Jaime." Remus said in a very firm and final voice, "That's not going to work at all!" Harry grinned faintly, no, they most certainly couldn't name the baby Jaime, at least not until Remus stopped using the name in the bedroom. That would be downright creepy if they did. He was still weirded out by the fact that Remus of all people chose his given name for him, but he figured this forum was not the best place to open up the subject.

"I always wanted to use the name Teddy." Tonks mused out loud, in a sort of faraway voice that put Luna Lovegood in the other's minds.

"Hey, me too! It's a brilliant name isn't it?" Remus gushed and while Tonks beamed at him Harry and Severus exchanged a horrified glance over their heads,

"Yeah, well, lucky for her she's a girl so you can't name her Teddy!" Harry quickly put his foot down, in case anyone would think this was even a remotely good idea.

"Ooh, I know!" Hermione piped in, "What about Selini? It's Greek for 'moon'." Harry felt Remus stiffening by his side, and desperately tried to plead Hermione with his eyes to can it, when Draco opened up his big fat mouth,

"Yeah, that's got a really nice sound to it. Or, you can go with Behriya, which means 'wolf' in Hindu." Harry sighed, and turned to place a comforting hand on Remus' arm, hoping to save the situation before Remus was about to explode,

"I think we should stay clear of any… names in that area." He said diplomatically and fixed both his friends with scorching glares to let them know they were out of line. Even if Remus did come to terms with having a baby and was really working on his issues regarding her possible werewolf status it was no reason to give a daily reminder of it by naming their daughter thus. Though Selini did have quite a nice ring to it…

"I think she should have a strong Irish name." Seamus said, and Mairead raised her glass in salute,

"Hear hear!" Harry rolled his eyes, there was no way this was going to end well, especially not after both Seamus and Mairead had had a few cups of eggnog each already,

"We are _not_ naming her Paddy!" Seamus stuck his tongue out at him,

"I was thinking more along the lines of Ciara, or Iona. Iona is brilliant." Seamus' whole face lit up at the brilliance of his own idea, and Harry was found it hard not to smile back and yield to his wishes,

"Or Niamh." Mairead chipped in, gaining Seamus enthusiastic approval,

"Isolt." He added. Remus rolled his eyes at this and decided it was time he put his foot down before they drown in a sea of Irish names.

"Guys, this is all good and well, but you're forgetting that neither Harry nor I are in fact, Irish. You should save those names for when you have a baby." He said, his eyes darting between Mairead and Sirius to emphasize his point. Beside Mairead Sirius was chocking on his mouthful of scone, crumbs spraying from his mouth. Mairead elbowed him in the stomach to show him what she thought of his reaction which left poor Sirius winded indeed.

"Ok, guys, I think that's enough for one day." Harry called, trying to appease and calm the spirits before someone (probably Sirius) will get seriously hurt.

"Yeah, we'd like to thank you all for those lovely ideas," Remus added with a smirk, "Now we know what names _not _to use." The room erupted into laughs and good natured boos but everyone slowly returned to discussing presents and enjoying Christmas. Harry caught Lily's eye and she winked at him. Averting his gaze and blushing a little he caressed his baby bump, smiling to himself.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

"Remus?" Remus growled something illegible as he tried to pull his boot off. Harry watched amused as the man pulled the rebellious footwear, cursing so wildly Harry was glad Aaron was fast asleep in his room. Eventually Remus gave a mighty tug and the boot came loose, sending the surprised werewolf bouncing on his back in the middle of the bed.

"Yes, love?" Harry quickly straddled his husband, who looked a little sheepish at his somewhat juvenile struggle with his shoes, and leaned down to kiss him. Remus wrapped his arms around his husband's waist, bringing him closer, and deepening the kiss.

"Were you really the one that named me?" Remus groaned and tossed his head back, why did Harry have to go and ruin a potentially hot making out session with his silly questions? Truth be told, Remus had a feeling he will not hear the end of it anytime soon, and he vowed to get back at Severus for spilling the beans like that. The evil bastard.

"Yes, but I didn't have a choice…" He said defensively, "I know the whole 'I used to know you before you knew yourself' business is a bit creepy for you but…" Harry smiled and leaned to kiss his husband deep, cutting the rest of Remus' babbling,

"Thank you." Remus looked sideways at the man on top of him, not sure he truly heard what he thought he heard,

"What?" Harry smiled again, sliding off his husband and rolling both of them to lie on their sides when the pressure on his stomach was making him uncomfortable,

"I heard what the others suggestions were, so thank you." Remus shrugged in a 'it's cool' sort of way that was making Harry chuckle and shake his head at his husband's preening,

"I thought you'd be completely weirded out by this." He confessed,

"Oh, I am." Harry said seriously, his eyes wide, "I mean I chose Harrison because of Harry and you chose Harry because of Harrison, how weird is that?"

"So, you're not upset with me then?" Remus asked cautiously, not taking any chances in the matter. Harry's nature, while never very predictable was impossible to tell nowadays and Remus wanted to make sure he stayed on his husband's good side as much as possible,

"No, Pooky, we're good. We just never talk of this again." Remus laughed in relief,

"Agreed." With twinkling eyes Harry pushed Remus to his back and straddled him again, leaning forward to catch his lips in a sweet kiss,

"Good, now where were we?"

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** All the good names in this chapter- Selini (which I absolutely love), Behriya and Lorelei (which I have to admit 'Gilmore Girls' ruined for me forever…) came from Ex-Mentis, thank you so much.

The other names are mine… Sorry.


	49. Chapter 49

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one.**

**A/N: This time I have a really good excuse for not posting, I was abroad… Yes, for two weeks, it was brilliant- thanks for asking. Now I need to pack up my flat for I am moving out. I should be doing this as we speak but instead I'm writing the next chapter… **

**A/N: Thank you all so so much for all the wonderful baby names you've been given me! I actually do have a name in mind, but I'd love to hear your input because, you may wow me into changing my mind… Credit is promised!**

**Beta: Dragon, because she's simply the best. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Forty-nine**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Remus stared at the pitiful pile of wood in front of him sadly. He tried, he really really did, but somehow he just couldn't seem to grasp the proper notion of crib making. It was supposed to be a surprise for Harry and the baby but the way his efforts were going he'd rather hex himself silly than show any of it to Harry. With a deep sigh he brandished his wand and binned his third attempt. That was it! No more rickety and wobbly piles of wood that he'd be scared to lay a finger on, much less a baby in! Clearly he was never intended to be a carpenter. It was time to go shopping!

Ever since he came back from Spain, Remus was trying to find something to do with himself. After tying all the loose ends of his job back at the Ministry, writing his reports and sending them over to Arthur Weasley, Remus found that he was once again, jobless and bored. His recent attempts at carpentry crossed out another dream Remus had been toying with since he was young. At least he knew now that he wasn't meant to work with wood because he sucked at it and not because he was a werewolf, which was a very nice feeling but didn't solve any of his boredom problems.

One thing he was sure of, going out to drink with Sirius wasn't going to get him any closer to finding a new job. But he couldn't help it, he needed distraction from his pitiful life and Sirius was more than happy to provide it. Even Harry was somewhat supportive of that, which made Remus feel even more incompetent than he had before. Harry knew it wasn't likely he could get a job anytime soon either. Not unless he accepted Minerva's proposal of coming back to Hogwarts, but Remus hasn't sunk that low just yet.

"Oh, bullocks! I can't believe they're putting another Madonna song on!" Remus lifted bleary eyes from his pint, looking around him and trying to catch the tune, which wasn't too hard as it was blasting through the sound system, "This isn't a bloody gay bar you know!" Sirius shouted to the room at large, before turning back to meet Remus' raised eyebrows, "Sorry, mate, you know what I mean…" Gulping down the rest of his pint Sirius quickly got to his feet and wobbled to the bar to get fresh glasses. Remus rolled his eyes, Sirius was just too easy, it was almost no fun at all. Almost.

"Man, if I had my own bar, I'd ban Madonna from it!" He declared seriously as he slumped back into his chair, raising his glass to his mouth, but stopped halfway through, struck by a genius idea, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Remus looked doubtful,

"How can you even think after all the beer you've been drinking…" He muttered, looking towards the loo and wondering if he had the strength to get up and make it there,

"We should open our own pub!" Sirius cried, slapping Remus' shoulder with enthusiasm, catching the poor werewolf completely unprepared, his elbow slipping from the table so that Remus barely had time to stop himself from having his face smashed into the table.

"What are you on about?" Sirius, who was always quick to get excited about his own ideas was practically glowing with enthusiasm,

"Just think about it! It's brilliant, all the beer we want, free on the tap, no cheesy music, and basically it would be the dream pub! My dream pub!" Remus rubbed his forehead, trying to wrap his head around all this. A pub?

"Yeah, sounds great." He agreed with a flat tone and rose unsteadily to his feet, "I'm going to the loo, and then we're heading home. You," He pointed a finger at Sirius, managing to point it in the right direction on the third attempt, "Are drunk." Sirius shrugged uncaringly and leaned back with a smile on his face, picturing his dream pub.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry chuckled at the sight of his hungover husband as the latter trudged miserably into the 'Sugardust'. Remus pouted and Harry opened his arms with a sympathetic 'oh'.

"I hate Sirius." Remus grumbled against Harry's shoulder and Harry chuckled again. Poor Remus, who could never hold his liquor well, was most definitely no match for Sirius, but he nevertheless kept trying. Harry reached forward and 'accioed' a hangover potion to hand Remus, who gladly accepted. "I am never drinking again." He vowed seriously. Harry smiled and leaned over to kiss his husband's nose,

"You're so cute. That's what you said last time."

"And the one before." Seamus piped in, before grabbing a tray of cookies and heading out of the kitchen. Remus sighed, damn that Sirius and his stupid ideas of fun!

"Good morning my little minxes!" Harry and Remus both turned to greet Sirius, Harry with a smile and Remus with a growl. Sirius brushed it off with a wave of his hand and beamed at them, "Did you tell Harry about my brilliant idea?"

"What idea?" Remus asked suspiciously, it wasn't unusual for Sirius to come up with crazy ideas during drinking nights, but it was rather new that he remembered them the next day, Remus certainly never did. Sirius was so caught up in the brilliance of his plan didn't even bother to roll his eyes,

"We're going to open a pub!" He told Harry, who was trying very hard to keep from laughing at them both,

"We are?" Remus asked with narrowed eyes, he had vague recollection of something of the sorts but he was damned if he was going to agree with Sirius before he got all the facts. Sirius shot him an exasperated glare, letting him know he was very disappointed with his lack of cooperation,

"I think it's a great idea." Harry piped in, and Remus turned wide eyes at the man he thought was on his side,

"You do?" Harry shrugged, a little sheepishly at the incredulous tone of Remus' voice,

"Yeah, it'll give you something to do, and you love being around people, from some reason," Harry, who was ever trying to get out of the public eye never understood Remus' enjoyment around other people, "Plus, you've done it before when you were in Wales so it'll be a walk in the park for you." He ended with an uncertain tone at the sight of Remus' slack jaw. "Right?"

"Exactly!" Sirius cried happily, clapping his hand hard on the stunned Remus' shoulder. Well, that solved him one problem, getting Harry to agree to his idea. Remus opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to come up with reasons why this idea sucked, but eventually his shoulders sagged and he raised his hands in defeat,

"Fine, whatever."

"I thought we could name it 'The black dog', what do you think?" Sirius bounded happily towards the fresh tray of goodies Harry pulled from the over and grabbed one, scorching his fingers in the process and nearly dropping the pastry, much to Harry's amused annoyance.

"I think it's a terrible name, how about 'The howling wolf'?" Remus said as he pushed Harry gently out of the way and grabbing the heavy tray he was trying to pull out of the oven himself,

"How about you find a place first then figure out the name," Harry suggested as he tried to bodily push the resisting Sirius away from the pastries so that there will be enough of them to sell, "But for the record I think that 'The marauders' could work just fine, you can invite James and Lily to join the fun, it'll be like old times." And, with some luck, get them all off my back for a while, Harry thought behind his beaming smile.

"Sorry to be the one to be practical, but how the hell are we going to buy a pub? We don't have any money to spare." Remus turned to face the two men and saw Harry's face falling. It was a little suspicious that Harry was more eager than him to see this idea come to life. Remus nearly rolled his eyes, his husband will do anything to get him out of the house and out of his hair, but it was nice to know that Harry cared enough to want him to do something he loved.

"I've got more than enough money to buy a pub," Sirius said casually, waving his hand in the air. "I don't need you to invest money in it, I need you to be there with me, after all, how much fun will it be without my best friend there?" He threw his arm around Remus' shoulder, pulling him to his side and nearly crushing the other man to him. Remus smiled tightly, trying to detangle himself from Sirius so that he could breath.

"I've got a brilliant idea," Harry said as he grabbed both men by their arms, steering them towards the door, "How about you two go out and get a paper and see if there are any places for sale, and then go see those places."

"You know what, Moony, I do believe your husband dear is trying to get rid of us." Sirius said in a bemused tone,

"You know what, Padfoot, I do believe you're right." Remus answered gravely. The two turned narrowed eyes stares at Harry who simply smiled and shoved a couple of Danish into their hands before waving them off.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** I know this a bit on the short side but I want to start something new next chapter and I'm going to need all the pages I can get so this is a little pause before things get interesting again.


	50. Chapter 50

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Wow, I can't believe we made it to chapter 50! This is officially the longest story I've ever written, and it's all thanks to you, and your reviews and your patience with my erratic posting and your love of my story otherwise I'd stop a long time ago, so thank you so very very much and keep up the good work. ^_^**

**Those of you who wanted to see Ron again, this is your chance, but I'm afraid you're not going to like it. (Ooh! Marvin Moment!)**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Fifty**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

The little bell above the front door of the 'Sugardust' rang merrily, announcing the arrival of a client. Seamus, who had just finished putting down colorful fruit tartlets, lifted his head with a smile, ready to greet his costumer. When he saw who was at the door his jaw dropped in shock and the empty baking tray fell from his hands to the floor with a loud clang.

"Blimy, I must be bloody dreaming…" The tall red head at the door looked rather uneasy, as if he didn't mean to come into the shop in the first place. Seamus stepped from behind the counter and went to his old school mate, "As I live and breathe, Ron 'I've been gone for so long it's a good thing I have a million brothers otherwise people would forget what I look like' Weasley in the flesh!" Ron's face broke into a grin, and the two ex-Gryffindors hugged warmly.

"Good to see you, Seamus, baking business is being good to you, you've rounded up around the edges." Ron said with a wide smile and Seamus put his hand over his heart in an overly dramatic hurt gesture, which made Ron laugh,

"Is that why you came here? To mock me?" He asked in his best offended tone. The smile slipped from Ron's face,

"I came to be with my dad, he's had a heart attack." Seamus bit his lip and sighed,

"I know. We went to see him in the hospital." He said in a tight voice. The whole incident started about a week ago when George called to say that Arthur Weasley was rushed to St. Mungo's hospital with a cardiac arrest. The healers have managed to stabilize him and he was out of danger but decided he should remain in the hospital for several days for observation. When Harry, Remus and Seamus went to visit him they encounter an obstacle in the shape of Molly Weasley who flat out refused to let them anywhere near her husband. Not wanting to cause a public scene in the middle of the hospital the three left, but the whole affair nevertheless left a bad taste and deepened the rip between Molly Weasley and her former charge.

"He's back home now." Ron said, his tone seemed unaffected, and Seamus wondered whether he didn't know of this or simply didn't care.

"That's good news." He said, his eyes turning to the kitchen door and wishing Harry would come out and deal with Ron. After all, _his_ school-best-friend was still very much present even if Dean tried to avoid the shop as much as possible for the sake of his diet. Suddenly Aaron burst out the kitchen door, running around the counter straight to where Seamus was standing, and around the Irishman, taking refuge behind his legs,

"Aaron! Come back here and finish your porridge! I…" Harry stopped dead on his tracks when he saw who else was standing in the room. The two ex best mates stood there and gaped at each other while Seamus turned back and lifted Aaron to rest on his hip, wondering what was the best way to disappear from view, but still be able to witness what was sure to be 'the encounter of the century'.

"Ron?" Harry was the first to recover from his shock. He moved forward, going around the counter and coming into full view of the three other people in the room. Ron's eyes widened comically at the sight of Harry's swollen belly and his jaw dropped,

"What the hell happened to you?" He snapped. Harry's hands flew automatically to his belly protectively,

"Well, I'd expect that as someone who comes from a family of seven you'd know what a pregnancy looks like!" He snapped back defensively. True, it wasn't an entirely fair comment, but then again, neither was Ron's.

"It's his, isn't it?" Harry breathed deeply through his nose, trying to calm his anger lest he lose control of his magic.

"His? You mean is Remus the father of my baby?" He simply could not believe Ron would ask something like that. It was true that when last they spoke Ron said far worse things (or at least that what Hermione said, and also that Harry punched him, though he still couldn't remember anything from the time before his coma), but Harry had hoped that five years abroad had made Ron see some sense, clearly he was wrong. "You've got a lot of nerve showing up here saying things like that!"

"Oh, really? What's he's got on you? What sort of spell did he put on you?" Ron tried to peer into Harry's eyes to see if he's been affected by 'Imperius' which made Harry want to punch him again, "This is not you!"

"How the bloody hell would you know?" Harry shouted, "You haven't shown your ugly mug here for five bloody years, have you any idea what's been happening?" At that point Seamus cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the two ex-best-friends to him,

"If you'll excuse us, we'll be heading into the kitchen now." He said with a forced smile, poor Aaron really didn't need to see his daddy going all mental because of an idiot like Ron Weasley. "Come on, Finn, I'm sure there's a bowl of frosting with your name on it somewhere in the kitchen."

"Stop trying to fatten up my kid!" Harry snapped at him. Seamus' lifted an unimpressed eyebrow at him, flashing him his most charming smile,

"Fine, we'll go play with the knives then." With those parting words he made his way to the kitchen carrying Harry's son. Harry glared at Seamus back until the kitchen door was shut. He needed to save all his energy for the unpleasant encounter with Ron; he didn't have time for Seamus' silly bantering. Besides, he knew Seamus was bluffing. He was! Right? Shaking his head he turned back to Ron, glaring under knitted eyebrows at him,

"What the hell gives you the right to walk into _my_ shop and question _my_ choices in life?" He growled, a little useful trick he picked up from Remus. However, this did not seem to baffle Ron in the least,

"Don't you see what he's doing to you? He's got you knocked up for Merlin's sake! You're a bloke!" Ron was yelling at the top of his lungs, his face growing redder and redder to clash horribly with his hair. Harry could not believe he was having this conversation; he wanted to laugh out loud because really, this was just ridiculous!

"Ron," He said tiredly, all fighting spirit gone, "What do you want from me?"

"That you go and talk to Ginny. She said she tried to win you back but you turned her down flat. She told me she came to console you after your 'husband' took off!" Harry blinked a couple of times, trying to grasp what Ron just said, it was a joke, right? Something the twins put him up to, right? He couldn't be serious!

"Is that what she told you?" Harry snorted, "Remus didn't leave me, he went to do your father's bidding in Spain! And as for your sister dear, she showed up on Draco's doorstep with _cookies_! She tried to poison me!" Ron cringed a little at the mention of his sister and cookies,

"So she can't bake, that doesn't mean she tried to poison you…" He tried somewhat feebly; he knew firsthand what Ginny's baking was like. Plus, it _was_ a little crass of her to bring Harry, of all people, cookies…

"No, git, she actually did try to poison me, she laced those damn things with so many love potions it probably would have killed me if I tried to eat them!" Ron, who was not privy to that information, was rendered speechless. Ginny had told him she went over to Harry's to try and win his heart with cookies, but she sure neglected to tell him they were laced with love potions.

"She probably wouldn't have to resort to such measures if you'd just pulled you head out of your arse and be with her." He said haughtily, refusing to back down from his original point of Remus having some sort of werewolf spell on Harry and thus preventing him to do what he really wanted, which was to marry his sister. Harry snorted out in a disbelieving laughter,

"_I've_ got my head up my arse?" He asked incredulously, "You're coming here and telling me that I'm delusional? You're insane!" He took a few menacing steps towards the redhead, every piece of glass in the shop starting to rattle with the force of his anger and wild magic, "You listen to me good, Weasley, I will never, ever be with Ginny. Because I don't love her and I'm gay." Ron took an unconscious step backwards,

"Then maybe you should have eaten those damn cookies and save everyone a heap of trouble." He murmured to himself. Unfortunately for him, Harry heard him. The savior of the Wizarding world swelled like a bullfrog, causing every piece of glass in the place to shatter into million tiny fragments that were dusting the whole room. Ron gulped, feeling the tiny pricks of glass on his face and seeing Harry's hair turning silver with it.

"Get. Out!" Harry groused through clenched teeth, the magic running wild around him, so strong that even Ron could feel it, like hot gushes of wind. "I don't want to see you or your bloody sister EVER AGAIN! Now get out of my shop, or else…" Ron didn't bother to wait and find out what 'or else' meant. He turned on his heel and fled the shop.

Harry stood there in the middle of the wreckage that was his beloved shop, panting heavily and trying to calm himself. He simply could not believe that the person he once considered his best friend would say such things to him. A pair of strong arms suddenly encircled him and Harry froze,

"It's ok, relax." He could hear a voice in his ear. A voice that was familiar and soothing. Turning his head it took Harry a few seconds to focus on the man behind him. He blinked and suddenly he saw Remus, holding him tight. Harry's anger subsided almost instantly, much to Remus' relief and the wild magic in the room settled slowly. "That's it, Cailean, just relax, take deep breaths and calm yourself." Harry followed the instructions and his body suddenly went limp in Remus' arms. The werewolf caught his husband and lifted him, carrying him to the nearest table and sitting him in a chair.

It seemed like ages ago when Seamus called, his voice frantic and scared, telling Remus that Ron had showed up in the shop and that Harry was losing control of his magic. Remus rushed over to find that Seamus had grabbed Aaron and took him far from the madness and that every glass item in the place was broken. He was just in to hear Harry yelling at Ron to get out of his shop. Bracing himself against the magic and pushed open the door to find his husband standing in the middle of a whirlpool of magic. Taking a deep breath he braced himself and plunged in, feeling that magic nearly scorching his skin before he could get to Harry and try to calm him down. But now Harry was calm and Remus could feel the tension leaving his own body.

Hermione suddenly burst through the door, startling both Remus and Harry. She's gotten the call from Seamus as well. Upon entering the shop she stopped to survey the wreckage, it was worse than she had imagined. Damn that bloody Weasley anyway. Rushing over to where Harry was sitting she took out her wand and started to check him over before she even reached him.

"Hermione?" Harry looked up dazed, as if he was in a trans. Letting out her breath in relief once the results of her tests cleared Hermione slumped into a chair in front of Harry and smiled tiredly.

"Seamus rang me to say that Ron was being a complete prat. I rushed over to make sure you didn't do anything stupid…" She looked around her again, with one of her famous Hermione looks. Harry followed her gaze, taking in the full damage for the first time.

"Holly shit, did I do that?" Both Hermione and Remus nodded, and Harry run his hands over his face, "Bloody Ron!"

"Yeah, I know. He came by my office earlier, giving me shit about being with Draco." Hermione said sympathetically. Truth was, knowing Ron and what he was likely to say to Harry, Seamus' call had found Hermione already at the hospital entrance, on her way to the 'Sugardust'. "But, it looks like the wards around this place are still intact, so it's just a matter of cleaning up and putting the glass back up." She said cheerfully, "And most importantly, no one was hurt, not even the baby." She added, knowing that even if Harry's mind was too clouded to think clearly Remus was climbing the walls with anticipation for news in the matter. Harry's hands instinctively flew to his stomach at the mention of the baby and he looked at Hermione with wide eyes. But the curly haired witch simply smiled, "I think what we need right now is a healthy dose of sugar to clam our nerves."

"Won't the sugar have to opposite effect?" Remus wondered out loud, and Hermione rolled her eyes,

"I don't really care right now, I want cake!" Both men chuckled at her proclamation,

"There should be some cheese cake in the fridge." Harry said, making to get up when Remus laid a hand on his shoulder,

"I'll get it." Harry smiled gratefully and leaned back in his chair, opposite him Hermione was casting cleaning charms over the table to get rid of all the glass.

"It's a real mess, isn't it? I can't believe I lost control over my magic like that…" Harry muttered, looking sadly around him at what used to be his beautiful shop and now resembled a battlefield.

"I told you that you'll experience fluctuations in your magic during the pregnancy, I guess the baby didn't like Ron's attitude anymore than you did." Harry gave a tiny smile at that, rubbing his swollen belly thoughtfully. "I had hoped that five years abroad had made Ron see some sense. But I guess that once you're a stubborn git, you'll always be one."

"Yeah. I can't believe he came over here and tried to accuse Remus of having some sort of spell on me, and claiming that I should be with his bloody sister! I thought we were past all this crap!" Hermione shrugged, she never would have thought that Ron was stubborn, petulant and close minded enough not to see that people have moved on and things have changed.

"Forget Ron, he's not worth the anger and energy you're wasting on him." Remus said pleasantly as he put down two plated of cheese cake in front of the two, while sitting down with a third one. Hermione took the first bite and hummed happily, oh, yes, this was definitely the thing to deal with any sort of unpleasantness.

"Remus is right," She said once the sting of her sugar-craving was subdued, "And what you need to do right now is to go home and get some rest." Harry sighed, looking at the wreckage again,

"Yeah, I will, I'll just clean up this mess first." Hermione gave a small condescending smile, rising to her feet so that she practically towered over her friend,

"No no no no, you're don't seem to grasp what I'm saying. I wasn't suggesting you 'might' want to rest, I'm ordering you, as your healer _to go home and rest_. And no magic either, for at least 48 hours." Harry gaped at her, but Hermione wasn't batting an eyelash, "You've used an enormous amount of magic, which has drained you. If you do not let your body rest and replenish this magical energy you're going to hurt yourself. And the baby." She hammered the last nail in, knowing that even if Harry didn't care one iota about himself and his own health he'd do nothing to jeopardize the baby's.

Harry sagged back, knowing that resistance was futile. Remus, seizing the opportunity, gently grabbed Harry's elbow, and guided the other man towards the fireplace. Hermione looked around her once more, tapping her spoon thoughtfully on her chin, before she sighed, got up and went to the kitchen to find some more cake and await Seamus' return.


	51. Chapter 51

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one.**

**I'm sorry it took me so long, but these next few chapters are kind of like a sequence and I wanted to finish it before posting so that I wouldn't keep you hanging for too long. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Fifty one**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

He was nervous, he shouldn't have been nervous but he was. Remus held Harry's hand tight, near to the point of discomfort to the younger man, and tracked every move Hermione made around the room. It was the 37th week check up and the first one Remus was attending. He planned on going before but somehow something always cropped up- like the full moon or Sirius.

Harry was lying comfortably on the exam bed, he was used to this procedure by now but it never failed to excite him to see his baby growing. He felt Remus' hand tightening around his, feeling like the bones inside were shifting with the force and winced,

"Hey, it's ok." He patted Remus' hand reassuringly and the older man released some of the pressure but not the hand entirely.

"I'm a little nervous; I've never done this before." Remus admitted sheepishly, and Harry turned his head to give him a kiss. Hermione, who had just finished her preparations, turned to the table just to see the two men kissing quite passionately. She sighed and cleared her throat loudly, smiling sweetly at them when they broke apart,

"Are you two ready to begin or shall I just come back later?" Remus seemed to be considering the offer but Harry stuck out his tongue at her and told her to proceed. She grinned at them both and then put some gel on Harry's stomach before she started waving her wand over Harry's exposed stomach, repeating the complex incantation that resembled the muggle sonogram. Remus' jaw dropped in awe. Above Harry's stomach formed a smoky picture, their baby.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Harry whispered. Remus looked at the baby sonogram in awe, this was real, this was really his baby there. It was quite a different experience then feeling her kick, and even though the picture had no color and the contrast was somewhat grainy it was beautiful. Remus took in every detail, when he noticed something and his brow creased in a frown,

"What is it?" Harry, who's been watching his husband's reactions closely asked, looking between the narrowed eyed Remus to the sonogram, little points of dread prickling at the pit of his stomach,

"Are you sure it's a girl?" Remus asked Hermione who looked rather confused at the unexpected question.

"What do you mean? Of course it's a girl!" She said, somewhat miffed at having her medical judgment questioned,

"Then what's this?" Remus pointed at a little knob poking from under the baby's thighs. Hermione looked closely and then raised her eyebrows at Remus,

"She's got her hand between her legs."

"Already?" There was a stunned silence for a second before Hermione let out a small snort of laughter while Harry smacked Remus' stomach in reproach.

"Ok, if you're done with the _intelligent_ questions," Hermione said with a meaningful glance at Remus who tried his best to look offended, "I can tell you that all is perfectly well and good. Your baby is doing great." Harry beamed at her as she cancelled the sonogram charm and cleaned her wand with a paper towel before she carefully wiped Harry's stomach clean of the gel. With a little help from Remus Harry sat up and pulled his shirt down. "Now, I'll schedule an appointment for the two of you in two weeks time so that we can discuss the date of the c-section."

"Wait, what C-section?" Remus asked in wonder, it wasn't fair really, nobody was telling him anything! Hermione tried her best to refrain from rolling her eyes, mostly because she still reviewed Remus as 'Professor Lupin' but it was hard when he was asking such silly questions.

"The one that is going to get your baby out of Harry's stomach." She explained with only a hint of sarcasm. When Remus shot back a look that spelled he wasn't pleased with her cheek she sighed, "Harry's body isn't exactly designed for this sort of thing, he hasn't got any holes to spare, so to speak." Harry pulled a face at her description because, really, the less time he spent thinking about it the better it was for his mental health. "There is a reason why male muggles never do this sort of thing, and wizards only very rarely."

"So you're going to cut Harry open?" Remus wasn't sure how he felt about this, yeah, having a baby was fun and all until someone got cut open and left with a huge ugly scar on their stomach!

"In a nutshell, yes. But don't worry, this procedure is known since the Romans time and we're got people here who do it on a weekly basis, there wouldn't even be a scar left. I promise." Hermione reassured Remus, "Besides, the alternative is worse, trust me." She patted his arm but refused to elaborate at the point, especially with Harry still in the room.

Remus sighed, accepting his fate, because there was nothing to it really. He and Harry said their goodbyes and left Hermione's office. They made their way to the bank of lifts, taking the first one to the ground floor. Remus then turned to the left, heading for the row of grates, which were the public floo system of St. Mungo's, when Harry laid a hand on his arm to stop him,

"Can we walk back?" He asked, "It's a gorgeous day out and it's not too far." Remus looked rather uncertain, he didn't like Harry walking around the magical parts of London unprotected. Too many people were too eager to get a photo or any sort of gossip on 'The Boy who Lived' and none of them actually bothered to check their information before delivering it to the 'Daily Prophet' or 'Witch Weekly'. But he couldn't very well resist the puppy-dog eyes Harry was giving him right now. Damn it.

"Alright," He sighed, "But you're wearing a glamour, _and_ putting your hat on!" Harry nodded meekly, hiding his smile. Remus was a wonderful father, too bad sometimes he still felt he had to be one to Harry as well as Aaron. But he didn't argue because putting his hat on was easier than having to stay at the hospital and try to convince the world's most stubborn person to yield to his wishes.

Remus looked at Harry critically before waving his wand and Harry resisted rolling his eyes, he just _knew_ what glamour Remus would chose. Whenever Remus could, he'd transform Harry into Jaime. Not that Harry was complaining, but it was still funny. With another piercing glare from his husband, Harry sighed and pulled on his wooly hat. Remus gave him a generous smile,

"Ok, let's go." Before the two managed to even make a step a young medi-witch caught up with them, her chest heaving with the effort of running for who knows how long to track them down,

"Mr. Lupin!" She cried, and both Harry and Remus turned to her, their expressions puzzled, "Mr. Lupin!" She skidded to a stop in front of Remus, "Mr. Weasley is looking for you, he said it was urgent." Harry and Remus exchanged another puzzled look between them,

"Why is Arthur even here?" Remus wondered out loud, "He should be home resting." The poor medi-witch shrugged, looking rather miserable and gob-smacked and Remus sighed, "I'll just go see what's this about, you're waiting here?" Harry nodded, and Remus turned to the girl, "Alright, lead the way."

Harry sighed, and started pacing the length of the wall waiting for Remus' return. He had at least three orders to finish, not to mention they were falling behind since they had to close the shop for repairs for two days after the 'Ron incident', which meant they had to pull all guns and be extra efficient if they wanted to get everything done in time.

"Well well well, what have we here…" Harry froze at the sound of the familiar voice, turning slowly to face the woman who personally made his life hell for the past year. Cornelia Bradford-Meys, the dreaded and bigoted social worker. "Looks like you've been let out to play, isn't it right, Mr. _Lupin_?" The sneer in her voice made Harry's skin crawl with fury and he clenched his teeth tight,

"What are you doing here?" He practically growled at her,

"Now now, Mr. _Lupin_, you shouldn't be so cross, especially not in your condition." She pointedly looked at his stomach, which was flat to her eyes thanks to the glamour. Harry hands instantly flew to his stomach and he backed a little, feeling the wall hitting his back and knowing that he was trapped. He couldn't possibly outrun the Toad in his condition.

"What do you want?" He asked, doing his best to keep his voice calm and collected, not to let her know how much he was worried of what she might do to him and his baby,

"I want my life back," She responded pleasantly, her hand grabbing her wand almost in an afterthought, and pointing it idly to Harry's abdomen. "I want you and your maggoty little friends to suffer for everything you've taken from me." Harry swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the wand. He knew that right now he didn't have a chance in hell of reaching for his own before she did something horrible. He was trapped, completely trapped and a quick glance behind the Toad's back confirmed that she placed a ward at the end of the corridor to deter others from coming this way. The Toad watched Harry's face as he realized all his options were gone and smiled nastily,

"You are soiled, Potter, you've let yourself become a despicable charade. You're filth and so is the spawn you're carrying!"

"Don't you dare talk about my baby!" Harry yelled, advancing at her before she raised her wand and he swallowed hard, backing against the wall again,

"Shut up!" She screamed, "You were supposed to set an example, the hero of our world!" Taking a menacing step forward the woman lowered her voice, relishing in the complete power she had over 'The Boy who Lived', "But you chose to debase yourself and become attached to the likes of that monster. And now, you're carrying his seed." She shook her head in disappointment, "Our world is better off having no heroes at all then having the likes of you!"

"I never asked to be a hero." Harry said bitterly, knowing that right now his only chance to come out unscathed from this mess was to keep the woman talking and hope that Remus was on his way back.

"I personally would never lower myself to regard _you_ as a hero!" The venom in her voice took Harry quite by surprise, he had no idea she was this resentful of him.

"What do you want from me?" He whispered,

"I want you dead, you and that abomination you carry!"

"But why?" Inside his head a voice was screaming for him to shut up, not encourage her madness but some sort of morbid fascination kept him asking and wanting to know more,

"Because you ruined my life!" She screamed, her eyes gleaming with a mad shine, "You took away my job, you destroyed my reputation and my credibility. I believe it is only fair that I shall ruin yours in return!" Harry looked at her with wide eyes; he couldn't believe she'd go as far as to really hurt him, up until now.

"You're completely mental." He muttered, unable to stop the words from coming. Unfortunately the Toad heard him, and swelled up to her full height.

"Silence!" She roared, pointing her wand at Harry, "_Crucio_!"


	52. Chapter 52

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Fifty two**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Remus followed the medi-witch through the halls of St. Mungo's hospital. He was quite apprehensive about all this, he didn't want to leave Harry alone, but he couldn't exactly say why. There was dread growing in the pit of his stomach and he nearly told the girl to tell Arthur to go home and that he, Remus, will contact him by floo from the safety of 'Rose Cottage', but before he could make up his mind they arrived at the waiting room. The girl showed him in and quickly left, this unexpected errand was already taking too much time off her schedule. Remus took a deep breath and opened the door,

"Arthur, what's going on?" Upon lifting his gaze he realized that it wasn't Arthur Weasley in the room, "Ron?"

"Wrong Weasley I'm afraid." Ron said with an unpleasant sneer. "Hello, _Professor_…" He spat the last word before quickly locking the door behind Remus' back. The older man didn't seemed fazed in the least. He simply crossed his arms over his chest,

"What do you want?" Ron, suddenly angry, pushed from the table he was leaning against and pointed his wand at Remus,

"For you to pay for what you did to Harry!" Remus kept his cool, the tightening of his jaw the only outward sign of his ire,

"And what exactly is that?"

"Harry is part of _my_ family!" Ron snarled, "He's always been a Weasley and he should stay that way! Not be bound to you by some dark werewolf magic!" Remus sighed, Harry had told him what Ron said that day in the 'Sugardust' but Remus didn't think that the boy would take it this far. The dread in the pit of his stomach flared again, ten times stronger. Harry was not safe; he could feel the fear and anger through their bond and realized that Ron wasn't working alone. He needed to get out of here fast and save him and their child.

"I never forced Harry to do anything he didn't want to! And he'll never marry your sister, not in a million years!"

"He's got others to choose from!" Ron was yelling, his face purpling fast, but Remus couldn't hold back a snigger,

"Oh, I bet Molly will have a thing or two to say about _that_." Ron drew a long breath, his wand hand shaking with rage, before he managed to pull himself together somewhat,

"My mother's views are of little interest in this matter." He informed Remus coolly, which caused the werewolf to raise an eyebrow at him, "Harry could do a lot better than you."

"Perhaps he could have," Remus agreed, "But he chose me and he loves me, and I do him."

"You tricked him," Ron was advancing now on the older man, wand pointing at his heart, "You put some spell on him to take his ability to resist you! Harry would never go with a filthy monster like you!" Remus looked stunned for a second,

"Are you accusing me of using an Imperius on _Harry_?" The boy who could throw off the curse at

the age of fourteen? This was utterly ridiculous and frankly, Remus had had enough of this pointless chat. He needed to get back to Harry and make sure he was alright. He turned to the door, when Ron's shrill voice stopped him,

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" He yelled, "_Cru_…" But before he had time to complete the curse Remus turned in one swift motion, his wand in hand and pointing at Ron,

"_Expelliarmus_!" He cried, not even bothering to catch Ron's wand as it flew towards him, letting the wood clatter on the floor, "_Petrificus Totalus_!" He smiled pleasantly at the prone figure on the floor, "You're forgetting, Mr. Weasley, that I used to be a DADA teacher and a member of the 'Order of the Phoenix'. Now, if you ever threaten my family again or even come close to us, I'll show you what a monster can do." His amber eyes blazed, a feral fire in their depth that had Ron's eyes widening in fear, and if he could, Remus was sure he'd gulp. Without another glance at the redhead Remus turned to the door, casting an '_Alohomora_' and leaving the room.

Running through the corridors back to where he left Harry, Remus pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, quickly dialing Tonks number.

"Wocher, Rem, what's up?" She greeted him cheerfully,

"Dora, I need you to get to St. Mungo's straight away!" Remus practically barked into the phone, "Ron Weasley just tried to attack me and I have a feeling Harry isn't doing too well. I'm on my way to get him now." On the other side of the line he could hear a muffled bang and some muttered swearing, indicating that Tonks had jumped up from her desk in a hurry,

"Right on it, Boss!" She cried, her voice a little strained with pain. Remus shook his head fondly. Having a good friend so high up in the Aurors ranks had its advantages. And since Remus never exploited their friendship this way, Tonks knew this was dead serious. She had already received a full account of the visits Ron paid to both Harry and Hermione and so this new development came as little surprise to her.

Remus rounded the corner, phone still in hand when he saw the scene unfolding before him. Harry was pressed against the wall, his hands trying to cover his stomach while the Toad stood in front of him, wand in hand and pointing at his husband,

"_Crucio_!" Remus watched in terror as Harry collapsed to the ground writhing with pain, his hands still trying vainly to protect his baby.

"_No!_" Remus yelled, the phone slipping from his hand without him noticing. He ran forward, tearing through the ward the Toad set up and pointed his wand at her "_ Expelliarmus_! _Petrificus Totalus!" _The woman collapsed like a sack of potatoes on the floor and Remus reached Harry, sliding to the floor and gathering the younger man in his arms. Harry was ashen-faced and shaking, and to Remus' horror a large red stain was blossoming on his robe, under his belly.

"Help!" Remus was yelling, pushing the sweaty locks off of Harry's brow, "Harry wake up, please Cailean, wake up." He lifted his head again, searching for his phone, which he spotted smashed on the floor. Raising his wand to his throat he cast a quick '_Sonorus_', "HELP! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!"

A couple of woman in green healing robes popped from around the corner, taking in the scene of the sobbing Remus holding a pliant and unconscious Harry, while the Toad was still petrified on the floor. Quickly they conjured a gurney and rushed towards Harry. Remus had the presence of mind to cancel the '_Sonorus_' charm before he started explaining what happened.

"Hermione, Healer Granger is his healer, please get her." He pleaded with the women. One of them nodded and conjured a Messenger Patronus to send to Hermione before they wheeled Harry away towards the lifts. Remus followed them, his face white and his heart beating a mile a minute. The healers cast diagnostic charms over Harry's body, cancelling the glamour and assessing the damage. They conversed quietly among themselves but Remus couldn't care less whether they were discussing Harry's medical condition or his identity. His eyes never left Harry's face in case he woke up.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you're going to have to wait out here." Remus opened his mouth to argue, but the woman in the green robes pushed him into a chair, her pleasant smile and hard eyes telling him she was not above tying him to it if he didn't comply. As soon as the door closed behind Harry and the two women Remus jumped up from the chair and started pacing the length of the room. He wanted to break the door, hell he was even ready to break the wall that was separating him from Harry when Hermione stepped into his line of view,

"Hermione!" He cried, reaching for the girl and gripping her biceps, "Harry's been attacked by the Toad and he started bleeding and I didn't know what to do and he wouldn't wake up and you've got to do something…" Hermione nodded, trying to find a break in the influx of words,

"It's ok, Remus, please, I need you to breath and relax." She took several deep breaths until Remus cottoned on and started mimicking her, "Good, now I need you to tell me exactly what sort of spell was Harry hit with."

"Cruciatus, it was Cruciatus. The Toad had him trapped against the wall. He didn't even have his wand out…" Tears were streaming down Remus' face, and Hermione wanted nothing more than to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be alright, but she needed this information so that she could actually make sure that everything was alright.

"Was it the only spell cast?"

"I don't know, it's the only one I heard, but Harry was standing before so I guess it was…" Hermione nodded, patting Remus' arm,

"Good, I have to get in there and see what's going on, you stay here and I'll be back with news as soon as I can." Before Remus had time to protest she disappeared through the door the other healers went through, once again leaving Remus alone.

"Remus?" Remus turned around to see Sirius rushing over to him, "Tonks called me and said that something happened to Harry, what the hell?" He reached his friend and placed his arm over Remus' shoulder, but one look of Remus' face had him change his mind and wrapping the distraught man in a tight hug. Upon feeling the arms tightening around him Remus lost it completely and broke down sobbing on Sirius' shoulder. The dark haired man patted his friend's back somewhat awkwardly; Remus was usually the strong one, seeing him falling apart meant that something was very wrong indeed. He exchanged an uneasy look with Lily and James who followed him into the room, and which Remus failed to notice yet.

"Remus, what happened?" Remus started at the sound of James' voice and turned around, his face wet and red,

"Harry's been attacked." He managed between shaky breaths, still clutching Sirius for support.

"What?" Lily was practically swelling with rage, "Who did this? Tell me everything!"

"Hey! Leave the man alone!" Both ghosts turned to Sirius, "He's in no shape right now to deal with any of this. You can go look for Tonks, if you want information." He gave them both a menacing glare before turning to hug Remus again. Leading the sobbing werewolf around Sirius managed to maneuver him back into the chair, conjuring a heap of tissues for the other man's use.

"Sirius, where's Aaron? Is he alright? I need to see him!" Remus was jumping to his feet again, looking torn between rushing over to go fetch his son and staying put waiting for news of his husband. Sirius placed his hands on Remus' shoulders, trying to push the resisting man back into the chair,

"Don't worry, Aaron is on his way over, I called Seamus and told him to get him here right now." Remus nodded absently, his eyes going back to the door of the examining room. Sirius patted his shoulder softly, wondering what to do next.

The doorknob twisted and Remus jumped out of his seat, rushing over and nearly colliding with Hermione who was coming out. The healer caught the anxious werewolf by his shoulders, steadying him before she looked gravely into his eyes,

"Remus, I'm afraid we're going to have to get the baby out. Harry's magical field is collapsing and he can no longer sustain the pregnancy." Remus' eyes bulged at hearing that,

"What do you mean he can't sustain the pregnancy, the baby isn't ready to come out yet! You can't do that you have to keep her in!" He cried. Hermione smiled sadly, this was one of the least favorite parts of the job she's chosen, having to deliver news that nobody wanted to hear,

"We have no choice in the matter but don't worry, the baby is perfectly capable of surviving in the outside world alone, she'll be fine." Remus shook his head in agony, why was this happening now? Why didn't people just leave them be and let them have their quiet life? Hermione patted his arm with a small smile and turned to disappear behind the wretched door again.

"Come on Moony." Sirius, who's been keeping to Remus' side through every move the werewolf made guided him back to the chair, "You heard her, the baby is going to be fine."

"She's not ready…" Remus mumbled, "She's too small she's not ready."

"Dad!" A young voice called out, and Remus turned his head to see Aaron squirming out of Seamus' arms to run the length of the room and launch himself at his father. Remus caught the boy and held him close, nearly crushing the boy trying to hold back tears. Aaron looked up when he felt something moist hitting his head and lifted his gaze to the red eyes of his father. Remus sniffed and tried to smile, blinking his eyes and trying to compose himself. He wanted to be strong for Aaron, he wanted to let his boy know that everything was alright but having his boy in his arms only cemented the fact that Harry was lying there, alone, on the operating table, having his tummy slashed open and their baby girl being pulled out too soon because some bitch with a grudge hexed him.

"Don't cry dad, please…" Aaron was desperately trying to wipe the tears away from Remus' face, he was freaking out to see his dad this way; he hated seeing either one of his parents breaking down. "Where's daddy?" He asked softly, knowing that if there was someone who could get Remus to smile again it was his daddy. But to his surprise his dad only sniffed harder and turned his head, biting his lip trying not to cry harder.

"Your daddy is a little ill at the moment." Sirius said gently, trying to ease Aaron out of Remus' grasp but the two clung forcefully to each other and he soon gave up the attempt. "He'll be fine, don't worry." He finished, feeling rather pathetic and unwelcome. Remus and Aaron had a sort of familial bond that nobody else was privy to and right now, Sirius realized sadly, they didn't need him at all. Instead of pushing himself further into his pseudo family he turned to look around him.

In the corner he could see Seamus conversing quietly with Mairead, who gave him a little wave and a smile. Sirius wondered when she got there and why didn't she come to greet him properly, but he figured she turned up along with Seamus and Aaron and that he was far too absorbed in his attempts to keep Remus from going insane to notice. Not far from the two stood Fred and George, deep in conversation with Draco- all trace of laughter and mischief gone from the twins' faces, which was even more startling than seeing Remus crying. Over by the corner James and Lily floated, grim faced next to Severus who looked like he was alternating between wanting to break down the door and demanding answers and fleeing the room altogether. He must have had some information from his wife, and Sirius was about to walk over to their corner and find out when the door was opened.

Remus rose swiftly to his feet, Aaron in his arms and the two rushed to the door to see Hermione's beaming face as she crossed the threshold, carrying a white bundle in her arms.

"Congratulations, you've got a beautiful little girl." She said, trying to hand the baby over. Remus ignored her attempts for the moment,

"What about Harry? Is he alright? When can I see him?" Hermione sighed, she had really hoped the baby would manage to distract Remus long enough for her to disappear back into the room and not have to answer his questions,

"We're still working on him. He's lost a lot of blood." She said quietly, knowing that Remus was hardly aware that Aaron was perched on his hip, but the last thing she wanted was to cause alarm, especially to a child. "Sit down, Remus and hold your baby for a while. I'll let you know when there will be news, don't worry." Finally Remus' eyes left the door behind which Harry was being kept and looked down at the bundle in Hermione's arms. The baby's face scrunched up a little and then she opened her eyes. Remus looked into the baby-blue orbs and felt his chest constricting again. She was real, and here. Slowly he sat down and shifted Aaron to his side so that he could take the baby and cradle her against his chest.


	53. Chapter 53

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Fifty three**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

The baby and Remus stared at each other for a long moment. Remus wasn't sure how much the baby actually saw but he was mesmerized by her. She was tiny in his eyes, and fragile, but at the same time she was round and pudgy, kind of like he himself was according to his mother's stories. And she was smooth, not all blotchy and red like she's been through a harrowing journey down a birth canal, but pink and round and bright, it was a clear sail out of an incision. She was beautiful.

Aaron leaned forward to take a good look at his baby sister. She looked nothing like he imagined. It was rather disappointing, he thought. Reaching over he ran his finger on the baby's arm, all the way down to her tiny hand. The baby instantly grabbed his finger in her little chubby ones and Aaron giggled. Remus looked at his children, his heart breaking all over again, because he knew how much Harry wanted to be there for this moment. They had talked about it and Harry had the whole scenario pictured in detail, and now he missed it all- and who knows how much more…

Remus was pulled out of his miserable thoughts by the small whimpering sound Aaron made and looked down to see his son trying to dislodge his finger from his sister's grasp, unsuccessfully. Remus felt a small smile tugging at his lips despite his dark thought and he gently pried the baby's surprisingly strong fingers from Aaron. The little boy pouted and stuck his finger in his mouth,

"She was more fun when she was inside." He grumbled and Remus let out a small snort of laughter.

The other people in the room tried to sneak a peek at the new baby but no one actually dared to ask Remus if they can hold her. It seemed the three Lupins were incased in their own little bubble and that no one else was invited in.

Soon the others began feeling restless again. Having the baby around was all good and well but the fact was, they weren't really there for her and they still didn't have any news about Harry. At long last Lily was fed up with floating from one side of the room to the other in a ghostly form of pacing and declared loudly,

"That it! I'm going in!" Before anyone could stop her she floated through the wall into the room beyond, leaving a roomful of people gaping behind her. A moment later the door opened and an angry Lily was escorted out at the end of a spell from one of the medi-witches.

"Healer Granger said specifically that she'll give you news of your son's condition as soon as we have something to tell." She told Lily firmly, "Do not make us ward the room against you!" Lily sneered at her as she floated back to where James was standing, trying to hide a small smile rather unsuccessfully. The others sighed, not daring to laugh, lest Lily decided to take her anger out on them and knowing that they were back to waiting mode.

The door to the waiting room opened slowly, and everyone turned their eyes to see Bill Weasley's head poking through it. Everyone deflated rather disappointedly that he wasn't Tonks, coming in with some news to elevate the tension and returned to watching the door Harry was being kept behind. The Weasley first born was edging his way towards his siblings, looking like he wasn't sure he was welcome in the room.

George took one look at his brother and bristled. He knew who Bill came here to see but frankly, he didn't feel like talking to him now anymore than he did every time Bill showed up in the shop, which was daily these days. Fred watched his brother's reaction and rolled his eyes, he was really fed up with George's childish games, and here was the perfect opportunity to get them to talk. Here George couldn't very well disappear into his room in the flat above the shop and ward himself against the world.

"George." George looked even more petulant when he heard his twin's voice. Fred rolled his eyes again, "That's it, George, I've had enough of your stubborn, pouting… silliness! Bill is your brother and one of the only ones who still actively want to talk to you so do me a bloody favor and talk to him or I swear I'll hex you bad! And I don't care if you're my twin!" George's jaw dropped in shock, this wasn't fair! Bloody Fred threatening to bloody hex him! "Go!" Fred urged, pushing his twin towards their older brother who was watching their argument with interest.

Eventually George let out a low growl just to show Fred he was not cool with his manipulations and stomped his way out of the room, leaving the door open for Bill to follow.

Standing in the corridor George leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to look at his older brother. Bill wanted to roll his eyes, talk about redheads being stubborn…

"George…" George stiffened at the sound of his brother's voice, "George, please talk to me…"

"What do you want me to say?" George snapped, "Why _should_ I talk to you? You left!" Bill sighed; this was not going to be easy,

"George, it's not that simple, I couldn't stay." Bill tried to plead with his brother, why was George being so stubborn?

"You couldn't wait to leave!" George had pushed himself off the wall and now stood a few inches away from Bill's face, his face contoured in rage. "Just when I needed you the most you decided to skip off back to the other side of the world without a care to who you left behind!"

"I didn't _skip off_," Bill gritted through clenched jaws; he was not going to let his whelp of a brother to accuse him of such things! "I told you I had no choice. And I'm really sorry that I wasn't there for you when you came out but I. Had. No. choice!"

"Why? Because mum said she didn't want you in the house anymore?"

"Because she changed the wards." Bill answered quietly, and that, at last seemed to get George's attention. He slumped back towards the wall, his fighting spirit gone.

"What?"

"After I broke up with Fleur and came out she changed the wards, I can't go back to the Burrow." Bill explained sadly. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't stay here anymore; I needed to get away from her and her hatred. I wanted to be here for you, I really did but I couldn't. I'm sorry." George stared at the opposite wall for a long time, trying to gather his wits about him. She changed the wards; their own mother had changed the wards around their childhood home because she didn't want her oldest son to contaminate the place with his gayness.

"Oh, shit. I can't believe she did that… Well, actually I can but… Fuck!" George rubbed his hand over his face, still trying to understand how this could be. "Wait, that means the only reason I can still go there is because she can't tell mine and Fred signatures apart!" Bloody woman! No wonder he hardly ever showed up at the 'Burrow' anymore!

"I don't know," Bill answered with a shrug, "She's less pissed with you, you never shown any inclination towards women. I was engaged to one, she thinks that if I did it once I can do it again."

"You could have married Fleur anyway." George pointed out. It was true, Bill smiled sadly, he could have, Fleur wouldn't have minded- she said so herself.

"Yeah, but that wouldn't be fair to either of us. Fleur deserves to be with someone who loves her, and more so, someone who'd want to shag her. I wasn't the man for the job, as it turns." He answered flippantly and George rolled his eyes, barely concealing his smile.

"So…" He said, looking highly uncomfortable now that he could no longer be truly mad with his brother, "What you've been up to lately?" Bill shrugged,

"Not much, working." George nodded. A long pause stretched, the two brothers looking at the walls around them and trying to come up with a suitable topic of conversation, preferably one that did not include their mother. "Still, I suppose it is nice having everyone around, dad is probably thrilled." George snorted at that,

"Yeah, having everyone showing up for his almost funeral was the highlight of his year. Though I bet mum is loving every second of having her two lackeys at home."

"Lackeys?" George turned to look at Bill, was it possible Tonks didn't fill him in on the details of what was really going on? Oh, boy…

"You do know why Harry's here, right?" Bill tried to brush off the question with a half shrug and George rolled his eyes, "It was Ron, our dearest little brother that concocted up this scheme. He was in cahoots with the Toad." Bill responded with a blank stare that had George wanting to thump him- that's what you get for being abroad for so long! "The Toad was the social worker in charge of Aaron's adoption only she's a total bigot bitch who has a thing against werewolves. I guess Ron convinced her that Harry was responsible for all her troubles and he tried to take on Remus while the Toad had a go on Harry. Only she managed to damage him."

"You're joking!" Bill was floored, he truly was. It was one thing for Molly to pick a private war with her oldest son for disappointing her and depriving her of grandchildren but it was another thing altogether for his own brother to take on his former best friend like that.

"No, and that's not the worst bit!" Bill rubbed his forehead, what else? What else could his crazy family have done? "Ginny! She tried to slip Harry some cookies she made!" Bill involuntarily cringed, Ginny's cookies- Oh, Merlin save us.

"Ouch, poor Harry."

"No, they were laced with love potions! Draco told us, she was trying to snag him for herself. She's mental! They're all mental up there, the lot of them. She's been poisoning their minds, she have. She's not right in the head I tell you."

"Oi, she's still your mother!" Bill cried, though his protest was rather weak. He couldn't really defend a woman who cast him out of his own home.

"Yeah, and look how well her youngest have turned out! She should be put away if you ask me! Gods, if I were in Harry and Remus' place I'd never speak to any of us ever again!" George was waving his hands wildly in the air, his face flushed. Every time he received news of his mother is was getting worse. There were no boundaries to the woman's hatred!

"You're right." The two brothers shared a sad smile for the family they've lost before turning to head back to the waiting room, but before they could get to the door it flung open and a sparkly-eyed, wide-smile Fred rushed out,

"He's going to be fine! Harry's going to be ok!"

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** I'm not entirely happy with that, but I just can't seem to make it work any better. Sorry.


	54. Chapter 54

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Fifty Four**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry opened his eyes and groaned. White ceiling- for heaven's sake, not again! Closing his eyes again he tried to piece back the events that led him into a hospital bed yet again. It seemed like he could never catch a break, this was so unfair- he was pretty sure that no one he knew was as familiar with the medical system as he was. The fact that the last time he was in a hospital room was when he woke up from his coma after the final battle years ago did nothing to deter him from wallowing in self pity.

"Hey Cailean, how are you feeling?" Harry opened his eyes and turned his head towards the voice, Remus was sitting in a chair next to his bed, looking haggard, probably from sitting by his sickbed for who knows how long. Harry lifted his hand to touch his husband's face, smiling slowly. If Remus was here, things were probably not that bad, and if they were, Remus could always make it better.

"Like I've been Cruciated…" Remus let out a small, relieved snigger, grabbing Harry's hand and pressing a kiss to the palm.

"Good, then you remember what happened." Harry nodded, sadly he did remember. The Toad looming over him in all her tweedy horror, smiling evilly and brandishing her wand at him,

"Where's Aaron?" Remus smiled and pointed with his chin towards the end of the bed. Harry looked down to see his son curled up in the space between his feet and the edge of the bed, a blanket covering him and a confining ward shimmering around him and keeping him from falling off the bed in his sleep. Harry smiled gratefully; glad to see his son safe beyond his feet. His feet. Wait a minute… His feet? He hasn't been able to see his feet in… months now! If he could see his feet now, that meant that… Harry's breath stopped, his free hand flying to his stomach. "Remus?"

"It's ok, Cailean." By now Harry was hyperventilating with stress,

"Remus? Where is she? What happened to my baby?" Harry turned teary eyes towards his husband, this was not happening, this was NOT happening, there was no way the Toad had won, no no no!

"Harry, relax, please, everything is fine." Remus tried to sooth his near hysterical husband but Harry was having none of that,

"I want to see her Remus; I want my baby, please… I want my baby…" Remus leaned in and pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead,

"If you relax I'll bring her to you." Harry was wiping his eyes furiously, trying to clear the tears away,

"What?" Remus pressed another kiss, this time to Harry's mouth before turning to his side. Harry's eyes followed his every move as he reached into a clear plastic cot that Harry failed to notice thus far and lifted a small white bundle. Harry's breath stole again as Remus brought the tiny baby for him to see.

"Harry, may I introduce you to your daughter?" Remus asked with the proudest smile, and Harry's tears flowed afresh. He pressed his hand to his mouth, feeling like he might hurl with the overflowing emotion. He reached a shaking hand and ran his index finger softly on the baby's cheek, causing the tiny nose to scrunch a little but the baby didn't wake.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry… It's too soon, and it's all my fault you're out here too soon…" Harry muttered over and over again, as Remus sat on the edge of his bed and helped Harry to take the baby, supporting her with his own arm from bellow. Harry wiped at his eyes furiously, the tears obscuring his view of this most amazing creature.

"Hermione says that she'd perfectly alright and that with the proper nourishment and care she'd be up to proper size in no time." Remus whispered happily. He'd already gone through all the emotional turmoil and right now he was just relieved beyond words that everyone was alive and well.

"How did Aaron take to her?" Harry asked, his eyes never leaving the baby's face. Even though she didn't show any inclination to wake up he was hoping she would, just so that he could see her looking at him for the first time.

"He thinks she was more fun when she was inside you." Harry let out a wet laugh, the relief finally washing over him now that he was certain that all his family was healthy. He wished he could have been there for the first meeting between his children but right now was not the time to feel bad for missing out her first hours, days?…

"How long was I out this time?" Remus screwed up his face in concentration,

"It's been about 14 hours since she was born; you didn't miss much really, two nappies changing and a couple of feedings. You'll get your turn soon enough, don't worry." He explained happily. Now that Harry was awake there was nothing, absolutely nothing that could dampen his spirit. Not even smelly nappies.

"She's so beautiful." Harry leaned in and kissed the crown of the baby's head, "Who do you think she looks like?" Remus frowned at his husband, was this some sort of test? Was this going to turn into one of Harry's runts about Remus being there for _his_ birth?

"Like a potato." He concluded at last and Harry gaped at him, surely Remus was kidding… "Well, she does, look at her! The head's too big, eyes too big, nose too small, no neck. She's a lumpy spud and she's absolutely beautiful." He finished with a wide smile and a tickle to the baby's tummy which the sleeping infant ignored. Harry rolled his eyes. Great, this was going to be _so .much .fun_…

"You know, we really need to come up with a name for her," Harry said in a desperate attempt to change the subject, yes, babies looked like potatoes when they were born but most of them grew out of it by the time they were a couple months old, and if he didn't nip this in the bud his little baby girl was going to end up with a nickname like 'Spudy' or worse. Good gods, he was hoping that he wasn't too late already. Who knows what Remus and Aaron could come up between them while he was fighting for his life.

"Well, we said we were going to wait until she was born and see she what she looks like," Remus said thoughtfully, taking the baby out of Harry's hands. They were going to have a hell of time fighting over who got to hold the baby, because Remus was not giving up on her- she fitted perfectly in his arms. "But I don't think that's going to work. What do think? How _should_ we call our spud?"

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

It was two days after Harry woke up and he was more than ready to pack his husband and children and go home. But of course Hermione refused to discharge him claiming he needed as much rest as he could get before being left alone to cope. And sure, the nurses were super nice to him and they absolutely loved the baby but Harry really craved the familiar walls of his home, he felt like the longer he stayed in the hospital the more chances he had of getting himself or his baby hurt. It was silly, he knew it, but he never liked hospitals and he wanted to go home!

He looked over to where Remus was cooing to the baby, who was wriggling her chubby little fingers at him. Harry wanted to shake his head; he couldn't possibly believe he had to endure the most horrendous four months without his husband only to have the man already whipped by a four days old baby.

"Harry! We've come for the baby!" Harry looked up to see Seamus and Draco bouncing towards the baby cot with Hermione bringing the rare and rolling her eyes. And here was another reason why they needed to go home already- at least at 'Rose Cottage' Harry could block the floo if he ever wanted some alone time with his family. It seemed to him that he was seeing his friends more these days than he ever did before, and yet again he wasn't, as most of what they did nowadays was coo over the baby and fight over who got to feed her. Remus graciously stepped away from the baby for the moment, coming to sit next to Harry on his hospital bed.

"Hey guys, good news, we've got a name." Remus exclaimed happily, eager to test the baby's new name on someone other than himself and Harry.

"Yeah, I'd like you to meet Olivia Renee Lupin." Harry said proudly. Seamus, who was holding the baby and tickling her tummy, stopped mid-tickle to stare at Harry and Remus in shock. Immediately Draco, who stood next to him, eased the baby out of Seamus' arms, lest he dropped her and shook his head disappointedly towards Harry. The raven haired man looked between his three friends, "What?"

"Bad call, Harry, very bad call." Draco said sadly before he turned to the baby in his arms and brought his head down to blow on her tummy, nearly decapitating himself on her flailing limbs.

"That's really insensitive of you Harry." Hermione added, rubbing a comforting arm over Seamus' back.

"Harry, I thought we were friends, how could you do this?" The Irishman was giving Harry his puppy dog eyes, and boy was he good at them.

"What are you on about guys? What's wrong with her name?" Harry was quite annoyed, these people had such a flare for drama he could never be entirely sure if they were serious or not.

"Harry, do you remember the man that cheated on me and broke my heart?" Seamus said quietly, completely serious for once, "And yet you chose to name your daughter Olivia?"

"Shey, I'm sorry, this has nothing to do with you, I didn't mean anything by it!" Harry cried, shit, it completely forgot about the whole Oliver debacle- he and Remus just thought that Olivia was a perfect name for their baby.

"You're going to have to change it." Seamus deadpanned.

"What the hell?" Harry was truly flabbergasted; this was _not_ how things were suppose to go! He and Remus had chosen a name and everyone should be happy with it! This was their baby, and Merlin knows he's worked too hard on her to just allow his friends to swoop in and suggest names!

"Well, we work together and it's pretty safe to say that I'll probably see this child quite a bit, do you really want to put me through this agony each and every time?" Seeing the dangerous narrowing of Harry's eyes Seamus plundered forward, not letting his friend put a word in, "No, I think she needs a good, sturdy name to carry her on."

"Yeah, something like Rose." Draco piped, still making faces at the baby who was trying to catch his nose whenever he came too close,

"I was thinking of Hannah." Seamus said, rather accusingly as he didn't honestly thought that Draco would roll with his idea,

"But she's going to live in 'Rose Cottage', it's fitting." Draco shrugged.

"Hannah is a palindrome." Seamus pointed out. Next to them Hermione rolled her eyes,

"Boys! There's no need to fight, you can just combine the two." Draco and Seamus exchanged an astonished look, as the thought never crossed their minds,

"What you mean like Hannose?" Hermione blinked at Seamus, not entirely sure he was actually kidding,

"No, you pillock, she means like Rosanna." Draco rolled his eyes, why was it he that had to explain everything? Besides him Hermione closed her eyes and prayed for patience, gods, it was bad enough having to deal with Draco alone but putting him together with Seamus made her want to pull her hair out.

"No, you idiots! I meant hyphenating the names like Hannah-Rose or Rose-Hannah." Draco and Seamus exchanged a long look before they both nodded and turned to the baby,

"Hannah-Rose." They declared happily. Cooing at the baby and telling her of her new name. Hermione caught sight of Harry's face and smiled sheepishly, trying to down play her role in this. When Harry's lips pursed together and his eyes narrowed she quickly eased the baby out of Draco's arms and started herding the two oblivious idiots out of the room, shooting an apologetic smile at Harry and Remus before closing the door. Harry rubbed his face and shook his head, not sure whether to laugh or cry,

"Can you believe those three?" When no response came he glanced disbelievingly at his husband. Remus' eyes were fixed on the baby who was rolling gently from side to side, flailing her chubby legs and nibbling on her fist. With a sudden jolt Harry realized what the meaning of the calculated look was,

"Oh gods, you like that name don't you?" He asked desperately, great, if Remus too was into that name there was no way he could put up a fight.

"Well," Remus said slowly, "Maybe Olivia was a bit rash on our part. And they do have a point. Hannah-Rose is a really nice name." Harry looked at the baby and sighed, he knew he'd lost. Even if they did insist on Olivia, Draco and Seamus were probably telling all their friends the baby's name was Hannah-Rose so that by the time they got round to make an official announcement the name would stick already and they'd have nothing more to do than confuse their baby. At least, Harry reasoned with himself, no one got as far as trying to make 'Spud' stick.

"Alright!" He cried, admitting defeat, "But we're keeping Renee!" Remus nodded, happy with the compromise. At least now the baby had a name so that he could still call her 'Spud' without Harry freaking out that people might think it was her actual name. He picked the baby up and brought her over to where Harry was sitting on the bed.

"Hannah-Rose Renee Lupin, that is quite a name you carry." Remus said happily as he tickled the baby under her chin.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N: **Renee is another one of the wonderful names suggested by Ex-Mentis, thanks a bunch man. I really love that name, I didn't want it to go to waste.

I've got a little riddle for you- What's the connection between the names Hannah and Rose? Hint: BBC. Can you guess it? Let me know!


	55. Chapter 55

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one.**

**A/N: I want to thank all of you who participated in my little game. Most of you (Dom, Ex- Mantis, Dark Side Of The Light Side, Plunnies-Run-Amok) guessed the Rose part, which I admit wasn't very difficult, but there were only two: 'PadfootandMoony's ****Little Girl' and** **Qraisi**** who guessed the whole riddle. Kudos! **

**Rose is Rose Tyler from 'Doctor Who' (The new series), and Hannah is from 'Secret diary of a call girl'- it was her real name (her prostitute name was Belle)****. The connection is- both characters were played by the very sweet and talented Billy Piper. **

**To JWOHPfan who was pissed I changed the baby's name because of Harry's silly friends- the truth is, I was going to go with Hannah-Rose all along, but I have another Olivia in mind, we'll see if she'll come out to play eventually. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Fifty Five**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Despite what Hermione said about him gaining as much rest as he possibly could Harry was getting restless. He was physically alright, no lasting damage to his system or his baby and yet his so-called best friend/healer refused to discharge him and let him go home and start his life again. Every time Hermione stepped into his room he made sure to send a death glare at her direction to let her know how he felt about this imprisonment. But these hadn't worked when they were kids, and they certainly weren't working now.

"Harry, I've got good news for you!" Hermione chirped happily as she opened the door to Harry's room one afternoon. Her happy news, though, soon turned into a horrified shriek as she caught sight of what was going on on the bed. Harry lifted his head slowly from his husband's lap and glared at her once again.

"What? Can't you see we're a little busy here?" He growled at her. The poor girl, who by now had the file she held in her hand covering her eyes and turning her back at the scene in front of her shook her head and snapped at her friend,

"I just came to tell you that you're getting out of here today!" Harry jumped from the bed, completely forgetting poor Remus who was still in a very uncomfortable state. The werewolf rolled his eyes before grabbing the blanket from the bed and using the fact that both friends were deep in conversation in the other side of the room to slink into the en-suite bathroom to finish off on his own.

"Hermione, you know I love you to death but if you're screwing with me, I will kill you!" Hermione rolled her eyes, and smiled sweetly

"Why would I screw you? You seem to be doing fine on your own." Harry had the decency to blush at her words and avert his gaze. "Where is Hannah-Rose anyway, don't tell me you let the nurses take care of her while you two were off doing… stuff."

"She's with Sirius and my parents; they've taken her and Aaron on a little stroll around the hospital grounds." He said in a somewhat petulant tone. It wasn't bad enough that his best friend caught him servicing his spouse she had to go and question his parental skills?

"Ok, then you have time to gather your things and get ready to leave, because I want you all, including Hanna-Rose in my office in an hour. We still need to do the test." Harry nodded somberly and tried to smile. The Test. The test to determine whether or not his baby is a werewolf. The test that will determine the fate of his family.

"We'll be there." Hermione patted his shoulder reassuringly, she knew how much was on stake here and she hoped the outcome will be a good one, for the sake of Harry and his family. For a second she considered rigging the test to give them the results they wanted but that would be rather foolish as the next full moon would reveal the truth anyway. But Hermione had faith in her theory and a part of her was really excited about proving it right.

As soon as Hermione closed the door behind her, Remus' head popped out of the loo.

"Is she gone?" Harry turned to his spouse and nodded, trying to contain his smile. Poor Remus. He just hoped his husband won't suffer from any trauma after having being caught like that. It was going to put quite a damper on their sex life if he did.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have forced you to make out with me, but you just looked so sexy when you walked in and told me that we've got some time for ourselves I just couldn't help myself." He said with a small, sexy pout, running his hands enticingly over Remus' shirt. The older man snorted with laughter,

"I'm irresistible; it's not your fault." Harry slapped his chest playfully. "What did Hermione want that was so important you had to stop in the middle?" Harry bit his lip and took a step backwards, before taking a deep breath,

"She's releasing us today, but she wants all of us to come to her office to do the test before we leave." He looked at Remus, trying to judge his reactions. Remus nodded once, sitting heavily on the bed and running his hand through his hair. Harry reached a tentative hand, almost afraid that if he'd move too fast Remus would jump up and storm out.

"It's ok. We need to know." Remus said softly, placing his hand over Harry's on his knee. "Don't worry, I'm not going to run away, I promise." Harry nodded, a small smile spreading on his lips while his innards were melting with relief.

"Good." Remus leaned forward to catch his husband's lips in a soft kiss. There was no way he was going anywhere, that baby was too damn cute to leave. Besides, Aaron needed him and Harry needed him and he needed them so the way Remus saw it, if the results were positive he'd ask Hermione to hook him up with a mental healer- it was the least he could do for his family.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

An hour later Harry, Remus, Aaron and Hannah-Rose sat in front of Hermione's desk, the two adults taut with stress and angst to see the result while the two toddlers were playing with each other on Remus' lap.

Hermione beamed at the family, fully in her healer mode and ready to perform medical magic, sort to speak.

"Alright, let's do this quick so you can all go home, finally. All I need from you is some blood." Harry and Remus exchanged a glance. The baby's blood, they understood, but why on earth would Hermione need _their_ blood for? Seeing their faces Hermione sighed, "I just want to show you the difference between werewolf blood and non-werewolf blood." Remus sighed,

"Fine, what do you need us to do?" Hermione brought her wand and some vials and quickly explained the procedure to the worried family and proceeded to take blood from the two adults and the baby. Considering everything, Hannah-Rose was the best behaved of all three.

Once the three vials stood on her desk, clearly marked with the names of the blood owners, Hermione conjured a strong protective screen that shimmered all around her desk. She then opened a drawer in her desk and produced another vial. At the sight of the contents of that vial Remus paled considerably, swallowing hard and clutching his children to him protectively. Harry reached across from his chair and laid a comforting hand on Remus' arm. He wasn't entirely sure what was in the vial but the look on Remus' face had him suspecting it was something to do with silver.

"This is liquid silver," Hermione said, confirming Harry's suspicions, "I'm going to use it to establish whether or not Hannah-Rose is a werewolf. Now, we'll start with Remus." She said brightly and tipped the silver over the vial of Remus' blood. As soon as the drop of molten silver hit the crimson liquid it started boiling and hissing. Remus' eyes grew wide and every drop of blood drained from his face. Hermione caught a glimpse of Remus' face and quickly vanished the vial of his blood with an apologetic smile. Before Remus and Harry had time to calm down and demand she stop she tipped the silver over the vial of Harry's blood. When the silver hit the blood it sank slowly, leaving no trace behind. She vanished that vial as well.

"Ok, so now that you know what to expect I think we can move on to the real test." Unconsciously Harry and Remus drew closer to each other, clasping their hands together and reaching for the baby with their free hand as if able to protect her physically from Hermione's test. Hermione watched them for a moment, hoping beyond hope her theory was solid because she knew she couldn't face the two of them if not. Even if Harry and Remus wouldn't blame her she would never forgive herself for ever allowing them to hope.

Taking a deep breath to steady her hand Hermione reached for the vial of silver, she was well aware of the two pairs of eyes that were following her every move. She tipped the vial slowly over the remaining blood and watched entranced as the drop fell down. All three adults collectively held their breath as the drop of molten silver hit the surface of the blood. And then sank slowly to the bottom of the glass vial. Hermione let out a relieved little giggle, which she quickly covered with a throat clearing. She quickly vanished the blood, silver and barrier before looking up to see Harry and Remus looking haggard with stress and sagging with relief.

"Well, those are good results." She said happily, "Very good results." Harry smiled weakly at her. He felt like he's been running for hours, every muscle in his body aching. He looked down at Hannah-Rose, who looked right back at him with her bright blue eyes. Pulling her carefully from Remus' grasp Harry cradled his baby to him, feeling his muscles starting to relax now that happiness was sipping through like little bubbles in his blood stream. He looked up at Remus who seemed like he was on the verge of tears and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling Remus forwards for a passionate kiss. A moment later Hermione decided to clear her throat to gain their attention when it looked like neither was going to come up for air anytime soon. "I need to get back to work, and all of you need to get home and settle. Harry, Seamus asked me to tell you that if you show up your face in the shop this week he's going to change the wards so you can't go in there anymore." She finished with a smile. Harry rolled his eyes, as much as he liked Seamus and his shop he really had no intention of leaving his baby's side for quite a while. At least until Remus decided that he wanted her all to himself and practically kick him over to the 'Sugardust'.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry smiled down at angelic face of his sleeping son. He was finally home and he insisted on tucking Aaron in. The poor boy was sent to the back burner in the last couple of days, ever since his sister was born and Harry wanted to let him know he did not forget him. After reading Aaron's favorite book the boy dozed off and Harry quietly left the room.

It felt so good to be home again, so good to have his things and his memories surrounding him again. No more pristine white walls for him and his baby, no more clear plastic cots. They were home now. Harry walked around the house, just enjoying the feeling of being there. Hannah-Rose was finally down after having a rather difficult time adjusting to her new settings, Aaron was out like a light after his story and kiss and Harry was free to have a couple of hours to himself and his husband.

Walking into the bedroom he saw Remus leaning over the baby's cot, looking at their baby sleeping with a small smile on his face. Harry walked over, leaning against his husband's side and kissed the crown of Remus' head. It was so good to know that they were finally on the same page and that all the doubt and fear was behind them.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** Technically it was never mentioned anywhere in the original books (at least as far as I know) that silver would have this particular effect on werewolf's blood, but I figured if silver was so deadly to them, there must be a reason, right?

So yay, the baby is not a werewolf. Harry is going to have a hard time deciding which of his kids would be cuddlier during the full moon…


	56. Chapter 56

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one. **

**~~~HAPPY SPIRNG HOLLIDAYS TO ALL!~~~**

**This chapter is quite long because rebecca's-lily wondered what the first full moon would be like and quite rightly so, and I completely forgot about it because I was getting ahead of myself so I went back to incorporate in the story. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Fifty Six**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

For once in his life, things were going right for Harry, and for that reason alone he knew it couldn't last. But for the moment he did everything he could to ignore and possibly forget the outside world and their unreasonable demands of him and just enjoy having the family he's always dreamt of. Putting the world aside actually wasn't that hard, not with a tiny baby clamoring for attention pretty much every hour of the day. But Harry didn't care, he found that juggling between two small children was actually rather therapeutic and if it wasn't for the constant lack of sleep he'd probably recommend this as a relaxation method for the masses.

He was very grateful that Remus was there to help him on a 24/7 basis, but sometimes it really got on Harry's nerves. It was stupid, he knew, but sometimes he still felt like Remus was butting in on _his_ baby. Sometimes he just wanted to scream that it wasn't fair that Remus could disappear for so long and leave him alone and then come back and be the perfect dad. But luckily those moments were sparse, and mostly came when Remus managed to work his charm on their baby when Harry failed to get her to lie down.

Ever since he's brought Hannah-Rose home Harry's been dreading the full moon. Not so much of what his family would be up to, but what on earth was _he _going to do. On the one hand he was excited to see if he could transform again, now that he was no longer pregnant but on the other hand he wasn't sure he wanted to, because he wasn't sure he'd be able to transform back fast enough if his baby needed something. The last thing he wanted was to fuck up his transformation and end up with a pair of wolf's paws instead of hands or something.

On the morning of the full moon Harry was still nowhere near reaching a decision but at least he decided to play it by ear- besides, he had the advantage of being able to transform whenever he wanted, unlike his poor husband and son so he could always test Hermione's theory on another day. During the day he was mostly busy with their usual pre-full moon routine which consisted of Remus and Aaron's relaxing exercises, and cajoling, begging and eventually bribing Aaron into taking his wolfsbane potion.

"How are you holding up?" Harry lifted his head to look at Remus and smiled sadly, it was truly amazing how Remus, who was about to undergo a terrible night each and every month still found time to console Harry every time.

"I'm a little nervous but we'll get through, right?" Remus smiled and dropped down next to Harry on the sofa, wrapping his arms around his husband. Harry burrowed into the hug, feeling his body relaxing a little. Everyone suggested they'd come tonight to keep them company- Lily and James and even Seamus and Draco but Harry told them not to, he wanted this night to be his family's only, and so even Sirius was not invited. Remus leaned in and brought his lips to Harry's, kissing his softly. Harry melted into the kiss which soon turned a lot more passionate. Pulling himself back with an effort Harry looked at Remus' blown pupils and the almost hungry look on his face and backed out of his husband's reach.

"I… I don't think it's such a good idea right now." He said softly and watched as Remus forcefully reined the wolf back. Remus nodded, his mouth set in a tight smile as he got off the sofa and went out of the room. Harry let out a long sigh and curled into himself. It wasn't that he didn't want Remus to touch him or kiss him or even more but doing things so close to the full moon was the reason he ended up pregnant in the first place and truth be told- he wasn't eager for a repeat anytime soon.

Harry was walking around the house, trying to find something to do with himself, Remus and Aaron were resting and Hannah-Rose was asleep which meant he was left to wonder around like a ghost in his own home and pray for the night to be over as soon as possible. Standing on the back porch Harry stared towards the west, looking at the sun going down. At least they already changed the clock so that the nights grew shorter. Briefly he wondered what it would be like to spend the full moon in high summer over at the Arctic Circle. Would Remus and Aaron even transform if the sun doesn't go down? He decided that maybe when the baby was old enough to travel they might give it a go. He figured they didn't even have to go all the way up to Norway, maybe Orkney Islands or even Farrow will do. He'll have to look it up someday.

When the sun disappeared behind the trees Harry sighed and turned to go back into the house. They had a little more time before the moon rose and he wanted to hold his family close while the waited. Remus brought Hannah-Rose to the bed where Harry and Aaron were already lying on, Harry's arms trying to shield his son from the inevitable. The three of them tried to find the most comfortable position and the tension in the air was so thick that even Hannah-Rose woke up and was squirming in Harry's arms.

As soon as the transformation began Harry buried his face in Hannah-Rose's belly and refused to look. He hated this moment most of all, because once Remus and Aaron were already wolves there was nothing he could do but make the most of the night but the transformation moment only served as a reminder to how helpless he was against the Lycanthropy curse. A soft, wet muzzle is pushing against the skin of Harry's neck, making him twitch at the tickling sensation. Opening his eyes Harry was greeted by his two wolves. Moony, who was drawing Harry's attention was now focused on the baby, who was looking back at him with huge eyes. Harry watched entranced to see what the wolf would do, he wasn't worried that Moony might hurt the baby, Remus had already told him that no matter what the wolf would recognize Hannah-Rose as his own but he was still curious to see how this would unfold. Even with the Wolfsbane potion Harry could never tell what was going on in Remus' head during the full moon.

The baby reached her tiny hand and her chubby fingers tried to grab Moony's muzzle. The wolf jerked back in surprise, whining softly and Harry chuckled. It seemed like Hannah-Rose was just as fascinated by the wolf as he was of her. A small yip sounded from below and Harry looked down to see Aaron trying to climb over Moony to see what the fuss was. Harry placed the baby on the bed, and the two wolves sniffed curiously. He knew he'd have to keep a close eye on Aaron, as the boy was very affectionate towards his sister, and while being able to handle her gently enough outside the full moon, the little cub was rather clumsy when furred.

Moony pushed his cub out of the way, nudging the small wolf out of the way. The cub growled a little, looking petulant and if possible, pouty at his father. But a low growl from Moony made his head drop and the cub turned with his little tail between his legs. Moony wasted no time afterwards before wrapping himself around the Hannah-Rose, lowering his big head and muzzling her tummy. To Harry's immense surprise, this seemed to work like magic on her and soon Hannah-Rose was nodding off. Looking over at the poor, neglected cub, Harry pulled his son into his lap, running his fingers through the soft fur until Aaron was practically purring. Moony looked over and their eyes met. Harry smiled, they may not be the textbooks perfect family but it was _his_ perfect family.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

But all the best fairy tales have an evil witch of sorts, and theirs came in the form of the Toad, or rather, her trial. During his stay in the hospital Harry had already given the Aurors a statement of what happened with the Toad in that corridor, as did Remus. Now both she and Ron were up for trial charged with endangering life and illegal usage of Unforgivable Curses. So far, despite Draco's best efforts Harry had refused to give a statement regarding Ron.

That Tuesday afternoon found both Harry and Aaron lying flat on their stomachs on the plush carpet in 'Rose Cottage' living room building a tower with magical Lego blocks. Next to them in the playpen Hannah-Rose was lolling quietly, making little noises as she tried to stuff as many toes into her mouth as possible. The grate suddenly flared green and in stepped Draco, who took a moment to daintily clean the soot off his robes before he let out a happy squeal and rushed over to the playpen. Harry barely had time to roll his eyes when the fireplace erupted to life again and out of it stepped a tall woman.

She was elegance and power from head to toe. From the dark, sleek hair that was piled up in a trendy yet severe hairdo on top of her head, down her power suit that was hugging her curves beautifully all the way to her six inch stiletto heels that were making Harry cringe a little. It took Harry a couple of seconds to recognize her,

"Parkinson?" Pansy Parkinson flashed a million galleons smile at Harry but before she could comment Remus appeared from the kitchen, drying his hands with a tea towel.

"I thought I heard the floo going… Miss Parkinson?" Pansy flashed another winning smile at her former professor, reaching for his hand,

"Professor Lupin, how wonderful to see you again." Remus waved his free hand,

"Oh, please, I'm not your professor anymore, please call me Remus." Pansy leaned forward right into Remus' personal space,

"Only if you call me Pansy." She whispered lowly, batting her long eyelashes, which Harry could have sworn were fake at Remus. The older werewolf caught sight of his husband's expression and hastily pulled his hand out of Pansy's grasp, taking a step backwards.

"Tea. We need tea!" He concluded brightly as he made his way towards Harry who positioned himself in a comfy chair with Aaron snuggled in his lap. Placing one hand on Harry's shoulder Remus used his other to summon the tea set. Soon everyone was seated around the coffee table, cups of steaming tea in their hands.

"So, Parkinson, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, not even bothering to mask the coldness in his voice. It was clear she didn't come over to share Draco's blatant enthusiasm with his baby, and since he's not seen the woman since they finished school it was rather strange to have her sitting in his living room sipping tea like that,

"I asked Pansy over to talk to you," Draco said, sending a longing look towards Hannah-Rose who was safely incased in Remus' arms, after Pansy nearly threatened to send him home if he didn't behave. He even shot a playful glare at Aaron who came over and climbed into Remus' lap as well, playing with his sister, and ignoring him, "She's the PR genius of the magical world and she's here to talk to you about the case." Harry sighed,

"I thought you said the case was closed, that the Toad was history." Pansy let out a small snort of laughter, making her nose crinkle and for a second she reminded Harry why she was nicknamed 'Pug-face' in school.

"The 'Toad' as you so aptly call her _is_ history; there is enough hard evidence against her- from her affiliation with the BWPS to her involvement in your adoption case to the fact that the last spell recovered from her wand was a '_Cruciatus_'. It's pretty much down to the Wizengamot to decide whether she'll get a life in Azkaban or the Dementors Kiss." She brushed imaginary hair from her face daintily before she leaned forward and pinned Harry with a fierce gaze, "But I'm not here to talk about her. I'm here to discuss the Weasley situation." Harry sighed again and ran his hand through his hair,

"I've already told you, I don't…" Pansy raised her hand in a commanding gesture and Harry fell silent, mid rant. He pushed back in his chair and glared at the offending woman,

"I know what you told Draco. I'm not here to mollycoddle you and tell you that it's alright if you don't want to make a statement against Ron Weasley." Pansy leaned forwards again, her entire being posed to intimidate, and privately Harry thought she was doing a great job, "I'm here to tell you that if you do not pull your head out of your arse, there will be consequences, and they're not going to be pretty." Harry opened his mouth to protest but the girl was on a roll, she rose from her seat and started pacing the length of the carpet in front of Harry's chair,

"While you've been hiding yourself away in your cozy little cottage and shop, Molly Weasley had built quite a name to herself, using all the influence she could gather from her war hero status and her husband's position in the Ministry. She's been to all the right parties, gatherings, events and balls while you holed up in here. People know who she is and people respect her, her family and everything she has to say. And what she's saying right now is that your husband dear is the one who attacked her darling son. And let me make it very clear for you Potter, right now it's his word against Remus', and we both know who's going to win this battle." She finished with a raised eyebrow at Harry and her arms crossed over her chest. Harry huffed and burrowed even deeper into his chair. That was a low blow and she knew it. Playing his husband like that to get Harry to testify against Ron. It wasn't fair and he didn't want to deal with any of this but the truth was, she had a point.

"Harry, you have to stop thinking of the Weasel as your best friend, he hasn't been any sort of friend to you for the past decade." Draco said quietly from his post next to Remus and the kids. Harry refused to look at them, because if he did it would break his heart.

"The Weasley's took me into their family when no one cared about me." He said quietly, looking down on his hands, clasped in his lap.

"They are hardly a family to speak of anymore." Pansy's voice was sharp and unyielding. She was not here to feel sorry for Harry; she was here to make him see what was really going on. Besides, it was a little hard to fake compassion for a family she hated for most of her life. Harry lifted his head and shot her a puzzled look. Pansy smiled back, and started counting on her fingers, sharp lacquered nails flashing viciously, "Well, let's see. We've got two sons she's not talking to because they are gay, one son that decided to keep as far as possible from his family and doesn't even live in the UK. Another son is more likely to choose his twin's side if push comes to shove and another who's been estranged to the family for years. That leaves her with two children, in both whom she found a platform for her hatred and bigotry. And one of them tried to attack your husband."

"And the other one tried to poison you." Draco piped in. Harry closed his eyes and shook his head while Remus and Pansy looked stunned,

"What? What are you talking about?" Remus looked shocked at hearing that Ginny, he assumed after deducting the rest of the Weasleys through Pansy's speech, had tried to harm his husband. Draco, who was still watching Harry intently, smirked,

"Oh, I guess Harry never came round to tell you that Ginny showed up in _my_ house carrying a box of homemade cookies that were laced with enough love potions to knock out a hippogriff." Harry rolled his eyes in annoyance; this was so not the time to bring this up!

"When was that? Why haven't I heard of this before?" Remus, who had a couple of seconds to overcome the surprise was looking livid now, and Harry was actually pleased he was buried under a pile of children so that he couldn't just jump up and do something crazy. Damn it! This was not how he pictured his night going, and right now all three of the adults in the room were getting on his nerves, none of this was his fault and he was tired of having to defend himself time after time,

"It happened while you hopped to the other side of the continent and left me alone with your son and pregnant." He snarled at his husband, who pursed his lips together and scowled back at him. Cheap shot? Hell yes. "And you," Harry continued, fixing his best friend with another glare, "I specifically told you to drop this, didn't I? This has nothing to do with this case!"

"Excuse me? This has everything to do with this case if Molly Weasley is trying to parade her remaining children as saints! You could have lost your baby and everything else if you've eaten these cookies!" Draco refused to be pushed to the corner on this. Ginny Weasley was his triumph, he was the one who called her on her dodgy cookies and he was not about to let anyone forget how evil she really was. No matter how much Harry wanted to forget.

"I would never have eaten those cookies, no matter what was in them and you know it!" Harry was yelling now, not caring anymore if he sounded like a petulant child or not. This ganging up against him was so uncalled for! He hated when Draco felt he needed to bring other people to enforce his point of view. Usually it was Hermione, but this must have been more serious if he chose big guns like Pansy Parkinson.

"But she had intent, she wanted to hurt you!"

"Alright, children, that's enough!" Pansy cried over the argument in such a commanding voice the two friends fell silent. "We'll leave Ginny Weasley out of this for the moment and use her as our secret card if and when we need it. Right now we need to focus on what's important and that is to keep Remus from getting the _Dementors Kiss_." Harry gaped at her, wow, this was quite sudden! One minute they were talking about Ginny's poisonous cookies and suddenly Remus was the one on trial?

"What? What are you on about?" Pansy marched over to where Harry was sitting and perched herself on the edge of the coffee table, leaning forward so that Harry's entire attention was focused on her,

"I am going to break it down for you so that even you with your thick Gryffindor brain could understand," She said in a condescending tone that had Harry wanting to claw her eyes out, "Right now, all we have to go with is Remus' statement of his encounter with Ron Weasley, and Ron Weasley's statement of his encounter with Remus. Now, I'm sure I don't have to tell you where the law stands in regarding dark creatures that had been accused of attacking wizards, right? Because this is how the Wizengamot is going to see this. There is no record of Unforgivable Curses fired from Weasley's wand and if he manages to convince the Wizengamot that he's innocent, which shouldn't be that hard considering Remus cannot defend himself in court, your husband dear _will_ get the Kiss, and you'll be left alone. Do you understand me?" Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No matter how much loyalty he felt for Ron and the fact that they were friends since the age of eleven, there was nothing that came before his family. Opening his eyes he looked straight into Pansy's dark ones,

"What do I need to do?" The woman allowed herself a small smile of victory before she replied,

"You're going to give a statement about Ron Weasley's visit to your shop, you're going to tell the Aurors everything he said to you and how he tried to get you to leave Remus and lose your baby. Hermione Granger will give a similar statement regarding Mr. Weasley's visit to her office. This will give Draco a wider base to work with because it will show that Weasley had been planning to harm you. Plus it will give the Aurors the possibility to interrogate the Toad once more about her liaison with Weasley, and I have a feeling she won't be very loyal. She's got nothing to lose after all." With that she rose from the coffee table, straightened her skirt and motioned for Draco, heading for the fireplace and leaving a stunned Harry behind her. Once the two disappeared through the flames Remus said gently,

"Harry, are you alright?" Harry flinched a little and looked at his husband for the first time in what felt like years. He slowly rose from his chair and walked the short distance to where his family was seated, and dropped heavily onto the sofa, pulling Aaron to his lap and kissing the top of his baby's head before he looked at his husband again.

"I'm sorry." Harry said softly, reaching for Remus and pulling him into a kiss.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about, Cailean." Harry smiled sadly and shook his head,

"She was right, you know. I was so busy trying to stay out of this mess and not take sides when it came to Ron that I forgot what was really important. You, all three of you are my family; you are the people I want to protect and keep safe more than anything else." He took a deep breath, "Tomorrow I'll go with Draco to the Aurors office and give them a statement. I'm not going to let anything or anyone take us apart." Remus smiled wide and pulled Harry towards him for another kiss,

"Good!"

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** Remember kids, when all else fails, just bring in your scary friend to get your point across. Works every time.

Harry is being very petulant and unfair but I believe he's scared; too many changes are not good, not in his experience anyway. Let's hope he came to his senses in time.


	57. Chapter 57

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one.**

**My computer crushed and had to be restored and I had no computer for a week! A week! I thought I was going mad! Luckily he's back.**

**Plus, as you may know June is Pride week (or rather two weeks) and I was rather busy going to the parade and to see GLTBQ films and such, so no time to write. Sorry. But I really had great time, some really good movies this year. **

**Thank you for reading my rambling so patiently and now I'm done. ^_^ **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Fifty Seven**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

As Pansy predicted, the trial against the Toad went down without a hitch, in fact, Harry didn't even have to show in front of the Wizengamot to testify. Within a week the woman was sentenced to the Dementors Kiss for her crimes. For three days everyone in the know kept their mouths shut regarding the Toad's sentence as to not send Harry into a spiral of guilt knowing that someone was getting the Dementors Kiss because of him. But eventually not even Remus could hold the secret anymore. Surprisingly enough, Harry was handling the news rather well so far. But it could just be shock.

But the main show had yet to be played.

In the following weeks after Pansy's visit Harry was caught in whirl of unwanted press. Just as Pansy said, Molly Weasley was doing everything within her powers to glorify her son's name while stepping down and crushing all who opposed her. So far she abstained from playing the werewolf card against Remus, but purely out of respect to the fact that her husband himself was one of the biggest supporters of the equalization of rights to dark creatures.

Since 'Rose Cottage' was under a 'Fidelius' charm there was no way the press could find its location, but they did know where Harry's shop was and reporters were practically camped outside the premises nowadays. To Harry's utter dismay the press got wind of the fact he had a baby, no doubt thanks to Ron. The reporters would literally kill for a photo of Hannah-Rose, which meant that even though Harry was back in the shop for a few hours daily he couldn't take his baby anywhere outside the house. He and Seamus even went as far as hiring a delivery boy to send their regulars' orders so that they won't have to fight their way into the 'Sugardust' every time they wanted something sweet.

Pansy had tried once or twice to get Harry and Remus to publish photos of their children, to gain the public's sympathy as she put it but both Harry and Remus flat out refused to drag their kids into the media circus. It was bad enough that they had to see their parents in a state of constant stress and lack of sleep; they did not need to be put under the microscope as well.

The first day of Ron's trial arrived a lot sooner than Harry was willing to admit to himself, but he and Hermione had decided a while ago that they will sit in the courtroom and serve as a constant reminder for Ron of his actions. Harry wasn't sure he would be able to sit through the entire trial but the first day, at least, was a must.

Sitting in the Wizengamot courtroom was an experience Harry could have gone without. To him it felt like he's been spending a large chunk of his life in that place and it was never a fun experience. Even sitting on the side that doesn't get interrogated in front of an audience wasn't making him feel much better.

He and Hermione were sitting furthest from the door, which gave them an excellent view of the Weasley family going into court. Well, the part of the Weasley family who was still talking to Molly. Harry had been so absorbed in his own world these last couple of months that he didn't even realize what changes his once surrogate family had gone through. He suddenly remembered Pansy's words- she had said that the Weasleys were hardly a family themselves anymore and now Harry could see it.

Molly was sailing into the courtroom like a battle galleon decked with an impressive robe of Gryffindor crimson that somehow managed not to clash too badly with her hair. Flanking her were Ginny and Arthur, who looked haggard with worry and Harry's heart actually went out for the man who only wanted to lead a quiet life and instead was dragged into this mess by his ambitious wife, who no one knew possessed so much ruthlessness on her way to glory, and watching his family fall apart in front of his very eyes. Ginny herself wore the same haughty expression her mother wore and a very low cut fashionable dress robe in the same color as her mother's. None of Molly's sons showed up for the show. Harry turned to Hermione and saw her mouth set in a grim line and her eyes burning with hatred towards the woman she once considered a second mother. Harry felt sick to his stomach.

He did his best to follow what Draco and the opposite arguer were saying to get a feeling of what this trial might be like, but for the life of him he couldn't. Half of what Draco and Mr. Danby- the defense arguer were saying he didn't understand, and what he did understand made him so angry he wanted to hurl fireballs at Molly and Ginny Weasley. An elbow to the ribs startled him from his daydream of watching Ginny going up in flames and he turned a hurt look at Hermione. His best friend simply rolled her eyes,

"Come on Harry; let's get you out of here before you start snoring." Harry was about to object he wasn't anywhere near falling asleep but he figured that relaying the details of his fantasy while still in the courtroom would probably not be as conducive to their cause. Together he and Hermione made their way towards the doors, hoping to avoid the masses of press that were not allowed into the courtroom and thus ended up camping in front of it.

Harry kept an eye out for Molly Weasley; he was really not in the mood to talk to her today. She was probably out there, making a soulful speech to the press about how her darling son was incarcerated for no fault of his own and how justice had been distorted today. Harry was really starting to hate her, and it wasn't only Pansy's words that convinced him, George and Bill and Fred had been campaigning against their mother to him, telling him all about her refusal to accept Bill and George. Even Percy, who was quite reluctant to talk about the matter, admitted that Molly had not yet forgiven him. It sank slowly, but eventually it did- the Weasley family was no longer the epitome of a perfect family that Harry always imagined. They were as petty, stubborn and messed up as the rest of them.

"Harry, Hermione," Harry and Hermione stopped on their tracks to smile tightly at Arthur Weasley who was elbowing his way towards them amongst the people leaving the courtroom. "Oh, it's good to see you," The elderly man whizzed as he reached them; smiling broadly,

"How are you holding up?" Hermione asked kindly, smiling at Arthur warmly; because no matter what vile things his wife was up to, the man did not deserve it. He was recovering from a heart attack after all.

"As well as can be expected under these terrible circumstances." Arthur replied, waving his hand dismissively, "But how are you doing, how is fatherhood treating you?" Harry, as per usual when presented with questions about his kids beamed brightly,

"They're simply a treat it's a real joy." Arthur smiled warmly,

"Really? Aaron taking well to the new addition?" Hermione was working hard not to roll her eyes, here they were, standing in the middle of a courtroom that was assembled in order to determine Arthur's son's fate and the two of them were acting as if they were in the middle of a bloody tea party!

"He thinks she's a brilliant new toy." Arthur laughed heartily,

"Oh, I remember the twins were exactly like that when Ginny was born. Of course their idea of a game was 'Guess where we hid your baby this time'." Both Harry and Hermione laughed at that, it was good to know that despite everything else that was going on in his life, Arthur had not lost his sense of humor, too bad the same could not be said for his darling wife,

"Arthur Weasley, what on earth are you doing talking to those traitors?" Harry gritted his teeth at the sound of Molly Weasley's shrill voice rising behind him. He fisted the fabric of his robes tight as to not do something he might regret and turned towards the woman with a big fake smile plastered on his face,

"It's always nice to see you too, Mrs. Weasley." Molly Weasley pulled herself up to her full height, unimpressive as it was and still managed to make Harry feel like an eleven years old child again, timid and afraid to march over to the exuberant red-headed family and ask them where is platform 9 3/4.

"Don't take that tone with me!" She snapped at him, "I will not be spoken to like that by a couple of traitors!" Behind her Arthur closed his eyes briefly and sighed. This sort of thing was not good for his heart, and he really didn't want to take part of his wife's vengeance. Harry and Hermione, on the other hand, gaped at Molly with open shock.

"_We_ are traitors?" Hermione asked, her voice going up a couple of octaves in her enraged state. "How dare you call us traitors when it's your own son that is…"

"My darling son did nothing wrong other than speak out his mind," Molly cut her speech, causing the young woman's jaw to drop, this was beyond shock, this was simply bad manners! "If that is a crime in a society that is striving to equality I don't know where we live in anymore."

"Your 'darling son' did a lot more than just speak his mind," Hermione hissed at her, her whole being radiating hate towards Mrs. Weasley. She was far beyond protecting the woman or her family; this was just absurd, her trying to pass Ron off as a bloody martyr! It was a disgrace. Harry, who was busy giving Arthur an apologetic smile, caught sight of the reporters who were closing in on their little floor show. He discreetly pulled at Hermione's sleeve, trying to get her to notice the danger.

"It's always a pleasure to see you Arthur; I do hope you're feeling better. Come on Hermione, we better be off now." He said hurriedly and pulled the stunned Hermione behind him before Molly could spot the press and start spewing her righteous swill again. There was nothing that would please the woman more than have the attention of every major published paper in the magical world while Harry stood there before her and stammered his way through his defense, or better yet, in her opinion, lose his cool. But he was not about to give her this satisfaction. He's had had enough of this day and all he wanted was to get back home to some well earned peace and quiet.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Walking into 'Rose Cottage' Harry grumbled under his breath, cursing Molly Weasley and her younger offsprings. The house was quiet and Harry stood in the hallway for a moment trying to figure out if someone was there. Then he heard some faint noises coming from his and Remus' bedroom and followed.

Upon entering the bedroom he saw Remus sprawled on his stomach on the bed, cooing and tickling Hannah-Rose who was perched on a pillow. Harry stopped for a minute to take the sight in, letting the joy of his husband and child working like a soothing salve for his soul. Remus turned his head towards his husband, the smile vanishing upon seeing Harry's facial expression.

"So, it didn't go well?" Harry heaved a melodramatic sigh, towing off his shoes and socks and dropping his robe to the floor on his way to the bed, leaving him dressed only in jeans and a T-shirt.

"It was worse! We ran into Molly on our way out." Remus winced in sympathy. To be honest, he was quite glad he couldn't show up in court that morning and instead was more than happy to spend the day with his children. "But I don't want to talk about it. Tell me something nice!" Harry commanded as he threw himself on the bed, giving Remus a kiss and then turning to his baby, sniffing her clean scent and kissing the crown of her head.

"Well, I've had the most productive day," Remus said brightly, "And I made a very interesting discovery. It took some light prodding, just to make sure but I can now safely say that Hannah-Rose hasn't got a single sharp edge in her body. She's a blob!" He announced happily. Harry blinked at him a couple of times. It was nice to know that Remus was doing something _useful_ with his time…

"She's not a blob." He finally managed weakly, but Remus didn't seem to hear him, leaning against the baby and tickling her tummy,

"You _are_ a blob aren't you? Yes, you are, you are the most beautiful, perfect little blob in the whole wide world! And do you know who you look like?" Harry rolled his eyes,

"Don't tell me, she looks like me…" He said in a bored tone. Remus lifted his head, looking at Harry as if he forgot he was even in the room,

"Pffft, no!" He cried and Harry pouted in confusion, "You were a skinny little bugger, all elbows and knees, just like your mother. No, this little blob," He grabbed Hannah-Rose and lifted her to show her to Harry, "Looks like _I _did when I was a baby. Cute and cuddly." Harry shook his head and took the baby from Remus, cuddling her protectively to his chest and pouting at his husband again,

"I was cute, everyone says so." He muttered petulantly and Remus burst out in laughter. A huge yawn interrupted their banter and both turned to look at their baby who was nodding off in Harry's arms.

"It's about bloody time she got tired, I was almost falling asleep trying to get her to drop. I'll go tuck her in." Remus smiled, and gently eased Hannah-Rose from Harry's grasp. The brunet was having a hard time letting go. He was hoping he'd have time to play with his baby for a bit, just to calm his nerves before people showed up in the house wanting to know how the day went. He watched as Remus took their baby over to her crib, gently lying her down to sleep, tucking her blanket around her in a way that would cocoon her safely. Harry bit his lip; Remus was so good at that, he loved watching him tuck the baby in, the way he bent over the crib, his trousers stretching across his bum, the way his back muscles stretched beautifully under his shirt.

Harry shook his head, running his hand through his hair. He hadn't had this kind of thoughts in quite a while. Hermione had told him that his libido would be suffering from the delivery and there's a good chance that it'll take him quite a while to find his mojo back, but it seemed like three months without Remus touching him was more than enough for him. Immediately Harry grabbed his wand and spelled his clothes away while Remus' back was turned. What a wonderfully brilliant way to make him forget all about the horrid morning he had!

Remus turned back from the crib, a huge smile plastered on his face, ready to continue swooning over their perfect baby blob. It had taken him all morning to make sure and he wasn't about to give up his discovery just because Harry had issues with the word blob. But when he saw his husband all thoughts of blobs and babies went flying out the window and his smile became much more feral than before,

"Is it my birthday already?" He asked with a wriggle of his eyebrows that had Harry narrowing his eyes,

"Come here." Harry breathed out and Remus didn't waste a second shedding his clothes on the way to the bed and jumping on it, looking to Harry like Aaron when the boy was excited. Harry laughed at his husband's obvious enthusiasm, rolling on his back and tilting his head back for Remus to have all the room he needed in order to work on his neck.

Remus happily obliged. While he didn't actively push Harry towards sex (unless close to the full moon, in which time he didn't really have much control over himself) he missed it dearly. After all, he wasn't the one who had carried their child, and his libido was doing just fine. He was so glad Harry was on board the idea of sex again that he needed to take a couple of seconds to recompose himself so he won't come before they got to the real action. That would have been beyond embarrassing.

He worked his way down the slender neck onto the broad shoulders, nipping Harry's collarbone and eliciting a low moan from the man under him. It's been a while since Remus had had the chance to hear and feel those sounds and he was determined to take his time and enjoy each and every one of them. The dusky pink nipples were so inviting Remus couldn't resist rolling them between his upper teeth and tongue, drinking in the sounds Harry was making and feeling himself growing harder and harder with the sounds. Having paid his due respect Remus decided to move on, swiping his tongue in a hot stripe along Harry's sternum towards his belly.

Harry was in complete and utter bliss, his whole body was alive and his skin was on fire from Remus' touch. He felt his husband's tongue delving into his bellybutton and suddenly Harry went cold. Trying to push the older man from him Harry squirm to get away, his ardor melting away,

"Remus, please… Just, move away." He tried to beg, his voice shaky with need and self-loathing. Remus lifted his eyes, confused,

"What's wrong?" Harry was covering his stomach self consciously, avoiding Remus' eyes,

"I don't want you touching my stomach." He confessed lowly, his cheeks flaming with shame, Remus pushed up and propped himself on his elbows, looking at Harry's face,

"Why not? It's beautiful." Harry's grew redder,

"No, it's not! I'm fat!" He complained loudly, pouting slightly, "I used to have such nice abs." Remus sighed, to be honest he didn't really plan on dealing with Harry's insecurities about his look when he first saw his husband naked but since the subject was up it was time to put it to rest once and for all,

"This is where you carried one of the three most important things in my life; it's the most beautiful thing I've even seen." He said earnestly, causing Harry to blush even harder, but this time with hesitant pride at the compliment,

"Really?"

"You are truly amazing Cailean, you know that?" The corners of Harry's lips quirked in a shy smile, and his cheeks were blooming pink again. He had no doubt Remus was telling the truth and after all this time covering his stomach from the world it was nice to hear it. Relaxing his body Harry rolled on his back once again, offering his torso to his lover. Remus grinned wide and was about to dive right back in and continue where he left off but Harry caught his shoulders,

"You can touch my belly later if you want; right now I want you to show me how amazing _you _are." He said with a wriggle of his eyebrows that made him look constipated and always made Remus laugh. Remus reached the nightstand to grab some lube from the drawer before returning to his husband and starting to prepare him. Harry looked at his beautiful husband, lifting his hand to run it in the tawny, graying hair softly. He could feel his erection coming back full force and moaned Remus' name softly urging his husband to stop stalling for time and just get on with it. Remus, who always had far more patience than Harry was in no rush, he missed making love to his husband so much he wasn't going to waste this opportunity on a hurried fuck. He was going to take his time, showing Harry exactly how much he missed him.

"Remus…" Harry moaned again, this time with a whiny twinge to it, "It's been too long… Now is not the time to go slow!" He tried to urge Remus to move faster, clenching his inner muscles around Remus' cock, but the older man wouldn't yield, carrying on with the torturing slow pace,

"You're not the only one who didn't have sex for the last few months," Remus retorted, his voice deep and gruff with need, "I'll go as slow as I want." Harry tried to hide a small smile, while Remus never bottomed, no one could say that he was always in charge, it just took the right person to know which buttons to push to make Remus do whatever they wanted him to and after all this time together Harry was quite an expert in how to get Remus to do what _he_ wanted.

Cupping Remus' face in his hands Harry looked deep into his lover's eyes and nearly purred,

"Pookybear, it's not like you'll never get any again… In fact," He paused briefly, running the tip of his tongue over his upper lip slowly, "If you play your cards right…" He added a suggestive wriggle of his eyebrows that effectively broke the Trans his eyes were casting on Remus. The older man groaned, shaking his head sadly,

"Gods, I'm so whipped…" Harry smiled wide as Remus started to move faster, and when he changed his angle slightly to rub against Harry's prostate the young man was seeing stars. Remus quickly set a rhythm, one that was fast enough for Harry's satisfaction but not too hard as to bruise the young man. Harry was beyond coherency by then, moaning and mumbling nonsense and arching his back to drive Remus' cock deeper into his body.

Remus, who was not faring much better than his husband managed to grab Harry's shaft in the third go and started pumping it in time with the movements of his pelvis. It didn't take long for Harry to fall completely apart, the dual stimulation combined with the fact he hadn't been touched in that manner for so long was undoing him fast, he threw his head back and let out a loud groan as he came all over himself and Remus. Remus managed a few more thrusts into Harry's sated body before he too came, collapsing on top of his husband. Harry's arms immediately went over Remus' shoulders to keep him there.

Long before Harry was ready to let go Remus started to stir and slowly pulled out of his husband. Grabbing Harry's wand from the nightstand Remus managed to cast a couple of cleaning charms before he dropped the wand to the floor and slumped into Harry's arms. Harry's fingers slowly combed through the tawny hair making Remus purr softly,

"Gods, that was so good." Harry smiled a little, battling to keep his eyes open,

"Yeah, I know. I can't believe it took me so long to actually miss this."

"We should definitely make up for lost time," Remus said resolutely, before cutting himself off with a huge yawn, "Give me five minutes." Harry glanced at the clock on the nightstand and let out a sad sigh,

"We don't have five minutes; Aaron is coming back from his lesson in fifteen." Remus' eyes suddenly popped open and jumped up, looking at the door with scared eyes,

"Shit!" He cried, scurrying to get out the bed. Harry stretched languidly and watched his naked husband gathering up the mess of clothes on the floor with a smile. Remus, on the other hand, was in no mood for Harry's post-coyotes laziness at the moment, "Harry! Get your arse out of bed right now!" Harry sighed again but dragged himself off the bed, he certainly didn't want Aaron to walk in on them naked, again.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the less than smooth way I led to the sex scene, I just figured, there are like two of them in this whole story and one is when they're both werewolves… Sex is back on the menu!

Though I don't know for how long, this took me ages to write!


	58. Chapter 58

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one.**

**Ellie- You didn't give me a way to answer you privately so I have to do it publically (Sorry). Coming out is never easy- trust me, I know. But lucky for me by the time I finally did my parents were like "Thank gods, we thought there was something wrong with you…". But sadly most of my friends were not as lucky and they are still struggling with their parents' acceptance. I find it very sad and upsetting that parents would rather see their child miserable as long as they conform to what they believe is 'normal'. I feel that every human being should have the right to love whomever they wish. **

**So hang in there, because as the 'Trevor Project' says- It gets better. It really does. Good luck. **

**I know that I don't say it quite enough (and no offence but that's just the way I am, ask all my friends) but I really really love and appreciate your comments and support. And I'm sorry it's taking me so long to post and all that- I'm going through a rather confusing time in my life and don't always find the muse to write, so I want to thank you for not giving up on me and my story. **

**BTW- The end is near. I don't know how many more chapters there will be, there are still some ideas I want to put in but I hope no more than ten chapters- I feel like I need to move onto something new, for your sake and mine. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Fifty Eight**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

"Hello Harry, how's it going?" Harry literally jumped up at the sound of his mother's voice,

"Merlin Lily!" He protested weakly, dropping onto the sofa, his heart beating a mile a minute, "Stop creeping behind me like that!" Lily smiled sweetly, looking very pleased with herself. Harry glared at her the whole minute it took her to get her facial features under control. "What do you want?" He grumbled,

"Young man is that the proper way to greet your mother?" Harry raised his eyebrows, Lily usually reserved the 'Mother card' for when she wanted something from him. Usually, it promised loads of embarrassment for him.

"What do you want?" He repeated, but this time his voice was tired and resigned. Why couldn't he have a normal family? Lily floated to the sofa, her face alight with excitement,

"I want you to invite James and me to dinner tonight." Harry frowned at her, this was certainly unusual,

"But mum, you don't eat and dad usually gets depressed when he sees other people eat." It was true, whenever James happened to wander into the house while they were having any sort of meal he'd perch himself at the end of the table and sighed loudly and wistfully whenever someone took a bite. This usually ended when Remus started throwing bits of food at his ghostly friend until James took the hint and left them be. Thankfully that had not happened since Aaron had joined them.

"I have a surprise for you. Just invite us over!" Harry rubbed his temples and sighed again,

"Fine. You and dad are welcome to come to dinner, but tell dad that if he starts howling like last time I'm going to ward the house against you two!" Lily waved her hand dismissively at him,

"Oh, relax! I promise we will be on our best behavior." Which, in Harry's opinion, was hardly comforting. He gave his mother a tight smile as she floated towards the wall again, but before she disappeared Lily turned around, "Oh, I nearly forgot, your father asked for shepherd's pie and I want treacle tart. Cheers!" Harry threw a cushion on the wall just for good measure, the nerve of some people!

At seven o'clock, just as Remus was putting the finishing touches on dinner and Harry was walking the length of the living room trying to burp his baby the doorbell rang. With Hannah-Rose still perched on his shoulder Harry went over to open the door. On the other side stood Lily and James, beaming at their son, before walking inside. Harry frowned, something was strange- the light from the lamp over the door must have been playing tricks on his vision because he could have sworn his parents were… solid?

"Good evening Harry, you might want to close that mouth before you catch a fly in it." Lily said pleasantly as she eased the baby from his arms and cradled her. Hannah-Rose blinked up with curiosity, before she stuck out the tip of tongue at her grandmother. When Hannah-Rose just started doing that Harry was concerned for her mental health, but after a careful study on Hermione's part she found out that Hannah-Rose was only sticking her tongue out to people she liked, or at least people she knew like her extended family.

"Mum… What the hell?" Harry snapped his jaw shut, blinking at his mother and slowly bringing a finger to pock her. He looked over at his father, who as soon as he walked through the door ran over to where Aaron was playing on the floor and joined him. The little boy didn't seem at all fazed by the fact that he could suddenly touch his grandfather, in fact- it was way better because now he could finally play with him properly.

"Well, I told you we've got a surprise." Lily smiled and stuck her tongue back at the baby. Harry wanted to roll his eyes, why did people feel the need to indulge a four months old baby was beyond his understanding. Not that he didn't do it himself but she was his baby so he was allowed!

"That you're alive again? And you didn't think that was worth a warning in advance?" Harry was sure he was going into an apoplectic seizure or something, this was totally unbelievable! He rubbed his face in his hands and tried to calm himself down- because if he did have seizure, there was no way he was leaving his children with Lily and James! Alive again or not!

Remus chose this moment to come from the kitchen, his stripy apron wrapped around his waist. He stopped short as soon as he saw his two best friends with his children and Harry standing in the middle looking paler than what Lily and James usually looked like. He wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders and looked at Lily, willing himself to stay calm. Lily beamed at him as well, showing him his own baby in her arms,

"What's going on here, why are you two solid?" Remus asked suspiciously,

"Surprise!" Turning from Lily Remus looked at his husband,

"Did you know about this?" Harry scolded at him, doing his best to look as offended as possible,

"No. Lily just begged me to invite them over for dinner and said she had a surprise. And then they showed up all resurrected." Lily let out an impatient snort at that,

"We're not alive again, or resurrected. Severus and I have been working on a series of potions and spells to allow James and me to assume a corporeal body for several hours." She explained with a broad self-satisfied smile,

"Why?" Lily's smirk was whipped off her face with that question. In retrospective, maybe a surprise wasn't the best course of action here. Harry was too James in that regard and surprises usually threw him off rather than excite him.

"What do you mean why? Do I actually need a reason for wanting to hold my own son again? For hugging my grandchildren? Damn it you two, I thought you'd be happy about this!" She shot at them, her eyes narrowed in contempt. If she wasn't holding a baby in her arms she might have gone for a stormy exit. On second thought, why the hell not? Lily was half-way through turning around while flipping her hair when Harry caught her arm,

"Mum, wait. I'm sorry!" He cried, hugging the enraged red-head from behind. Lily allowed herself a tiny victory smile before turning around and passing Hannah-Rose to Remus so that she could wrap her arms tightly around her boy. It felt so good holding him back again; it felt to Lily like seventh year all over again. A throat cleared behind them and Lily turned damp eyes towards her husband,

"I believe it's my turn now, you can't hog the boy all day long." With a slightly watery laugh Lily conceded and released Harry who was immediately grabbed and wrapped in his father's arms. Meanwhile Lily went over to greet Remus and Aaron properly. When the round of hugs was complete and everyone was rubbing sore spots from overly enthusiastic embraces Remus called them all to the dining room for dinner.

Harry watched with fascination how his parents' faces lit up at the sight of the food. It was hard to imagine what it must be like for them, being able to eat after so long. The two dug in with so much enthusiasm it made Aaron look like a well behaved gentlemen next to them.

"Oh, gods," Lily moaned, her eyes closed as she licked her fork of the remnants of the mashed potato, "I can't believe it! Real food. I forgot how much I missed the taste of meat, and potatoes and even peas!" She cried happily as she brought a forkful of green peas into her mouth,

"I thought you hated peas." James remarked absently while shoveling food into his mouth. Lily's face contorted into a disgusted mask as he forced herself to swallow the peas,

"Yeah, and now I remember why…" She muttered and emptied her water glass in one long gulp. Under the table Remus put a comforting hand on Harry's knee, silently begging him to hold his tongue.

"What I miss most," James mused, holding his glass of wine to the light, "Is drinking. I'd give my right arm to sit in a pub right now with a cold pint." Lily hummed in agreement,

"Whiskey…"

"Could the two of you stop talking about alcohol in front of my son?" Harry snapped, having just about reached his limit when it came to his parents. He was glad they wanted to be more involved in their lives, and that they even managed to get a corporeal body for that but the problem was- they were 22 years old! And they were not going to change.

"Wine," James continue, ignoring his son completely, "This wine is bloody marvelous, it makes me giddy and… randy." He shot Lily a look from under his brows. A slow smile spread on Lily's face,

"James." Remus warned in a low voice, but to no avail, the two ghosts were already eyeing each other with hunger. From the corner of his eye Remus caught the expression on Harry's face, which grew paler by the second,

"Mm, me too." Lily purred in a low voice and broke the Trans Harry was in,

"Oh, good gods I'm going to lose my supper." He bemoaned lowly, pushing his plate away and turning slightly green. Remus bit his lip, trying to hold the chuckle in and rose from the table,

"You two!" He barked at the two horny ghosts, causing Lily and James to blink at him with surprise, "Guest room, now!" The two smiled wide and rushed to get away from the table. Remus listened to their running steps around the house and once the door slammed shut he sent a quick silencing spell to the guest room. Turning back to Harry he saw the young man rocking in his place, his hands covering his face and muttering 'Oh gods' repeatedly under his breath. Remus wanted to roll his eyes; Harry was taking the whole thing way out of proportion, in his opinion. Aaron, who couldn't exactly figure out what went on leaned towards his father and placed a small hand on Harry's arm,

"Daddy, are you ok?" Harry lifted his ashen face from his hands and tried to plaster a smile on his face. Remus leaned in and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly,

"Harry, relax." Harry shot a venomous look at his spouse and rose from the table, grabbing his son and departing to the living room. Remus sighed and shook his head; he was not looking forward to dealing with any of this.

After cleaning the kitchen and stowing the leftovers Remus stepped into the living room to find Harry and Aaron both playing with Hannah-Rose. Remus looked critically at his husband but it seemed that playing with the children had a very calming effect on the poor man's nerves. Coming to sit next to Harry Remus leaned in and kissed his temple. Harry flashed him a sad smile.

Almost half an hour later Lily and James finally emerged from their little love nest, both with wide smiles and disheveled hair. Harry felt the nausea rising in him again and turned his head. Remus could see his partner getting green and rose to deal with his wayward friends. Lily grinned at him and tried to comb her hair back into order with her fingers, not too successfully.

"I think we should head home," She said with an apologetic smile, "The potions are going to wear off soon." Remus nodded,

"Yeah, you already look more… airy." Lily looked down at herself. It was true; she was getting shinier and less solid than a few minutes ago. She was a little disappointed to go back to being a ghost but then again, the fun was only beginning, they still had Sirius to freak out and besides, she and Severus could work on making those potions last longer- after all, it was pretty safe, it wasn't like they'd kill them or anything.

"Goodbye Remus and thank you again for everything." Lily said as she hugged the man, who couldn't suppress the shivers of cold running down his back. When she turned to her son Harry held out his hand,

"It's ok." He said quickly, taking a step back with Aaron perched on his hip. He loved his parents, very dearly, but he was not about to hug them right after they just had… Harry swallowed hard, by Merlin, he couldn't even think of the word. Lily rolled her eyes but said nothing, knowing that a line had been crossed tonight. James hugged Remus and waved happily to his son and grandson before walking to the door. Instead of opening it he tried to go right through, but since the potions were still somewhat in effect he simply crashed fast first into it. Turning around and rubbing his nose he grinned sheepishly to his family who were all holding laughter,

"I keep forgetting I'm solid…" He muttered and turned the knob. With a last smile and a wave Lily and James were gone. Harry shook his head to rid himself of unwanted thoughts and took Aaron for his bath.

When he eventually made it to the bedroom after making sure both kids were down Harry found Remus sprawled on the bed gazing morosely at the ceiling. Taking a deep breath to enable him to deal with whatever was upsetting Remus Harry carefully sat at the edge of the bed.

"You ok, Pookybear?" Remus made a non-committing sound but refused to be cheered in any way. Harry rolled his eyes, great, just great. Pushing Remus a little to the side he stretched next to him on the bed, "It's been quite an evening huh? I can't believe Lily and James would do something like that without telling us first. And then…" Harry ran a hand over his face, he will not go there, he will not! "Gods, these two make me feel old…" Remus suddenly turned and lifted himself on his elbow to face his husband,

"Do you realize that out of all my friends I'm the only one who's a proper adult?" Harry frowned at him,

"What are you talking about?" He asked carefully, somewhat afraid of unleashing whatever was bothering Remus,

"Lily and James are going to stay 22 forever! And even Sirius is… younger, both in mind and body, after that stupid veil. I'm 44 Harry! I may as well be a 100! I hate this!" He slumped back on his back and crossed his arms petulantly over his chest. "I'm the only one who's been doing the 'normal' growing up and it's not fair!"

"Would you rather be dead and a ghost or stuck in a limbo for five years?" Remus scowled at his husband, he hated when his emotional tantrums were shot down by logic. Logic!

"Even you are 24!" He tried, but some of the fighting spirit was gone,

"And I'm probably more mature than that lot of you put together." Harry remarked dryly. How can Remus think he's old, when he's been responsible for more mischief and mayhem than most people Harry knew put together. Especially when he went down to the twins' shop. "Besides, Severus is all grown up too." Remus snorted derisively,

"Severus was never his proper age to begin with; he was always old, even when he was young." Harry sighed; there was no getting Remus out of his slump it seemed,

"You're determined to feel sorry for yourself aren't you?" Remus pouted to make his point clear. Harry rubbed his hand over his face again, if he wanted to get to bed tonight it was time to play rough and dirty, and he was not above doing just that. "If it's any consolation I prefer the more mature and wise Remus over anything else." He purred, his hand gliding down Remus' torso to lift his shirt and caress the skin. Remus bit his lip and tried to hold on to the remnants of his indignation,

"You're just saying that so that I'll have sex with you." Soft lips trailing kisses on his neck joined the hand caressing his stomach and suddenly Remus was having a hard time remembering why he was upset in the first place,

"No, I'm not. It's the truth." Harry breathed out, "Besides, even if I did, would that be such a bad thing?"

"I guess not…" Remus arched into the touch and turned to this side, now fully on board with Harry's plan,

"I've had a day from hell, and I would very much like to forget it. And I do believe you're the perfect man for the job." Remus let a smug smile spread on his face,

"I am, aren't I?"

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** You have no idea what I've been through! My keyboard crashed, I had no 'O'! You can't write with no 'O'. So I had to borrow one from my roommate, and this one isn't very comfortable. I shall have to go shopping I guess.


	59. Chapter 59

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one.**

**A/N: I've been to see the last Harry Potter movie the other day and let me tell you- The only good thing about this movie is that it is the last, absolutely the last. Final. Never again! No more Harry Bloody Potter!**

**But, of course, don't let it stop you from reading this… **

**Oh, and this chapter is quite long too…**

**Enjoy!**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Fifty Nine**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry hummed to himself as he folded another one of Hannah-Rose tiny clothes before setting it on the bed next to him. Remus had taken the kids to the park and it was Harry's little quiet time and he was embracing it. Suddenly the pile of clothes started vibrating and singing, Harry jumped up with surprise and then sighed, starting to shove clothes aside to get to his elusive phone. By the time he managed to get his hands on it the ringing had stopped and he was faced with a missed call from Draco. Harry sighed again; Draco could so bitchy when his calls were not answered. Bracing himself he dialed back,

"Did you bloody lose your phone in the washing machine again?" The irritated blond snapped, and Harry rolled his eyes- one, one little mistake and he would never hear the end of it.

"What do you want?" Harry grumbled, he was really not in the mood for this right now,

"I just wanted to let you know that you are going to be summoned to give a testimony next week." Harry's heart dropped and he was very much glad he was already sitting because he was pretty sure he might have fallen on his arse otherwise,

"What?" He said weakly, he was _not _expecting this, especially not on his alone time on a Sunday afternoon. On the other side of the line Draco sighed, and when he spoke again his voice was softer,

"I'm sorry, I know you don't want to but you have to do this Harry."

"But… I wasn't even there when Ron attacked Remus, remember?" Harry rubbed his face, this wasn't fair, he didn't want to see the inside of that bloody courtroom ever again and now he had to go back up on that stage in front of the whole Wizengamot.

"You're going to give a testimony about Weasley's visit to your shop." Draco said his voice clipped and professional. Harry hated when he used his 'arguer voice' when they were not in court. It made Draco sound like the snobbish prat he was back at school.

"Is Hermione going to testify too?" Harry felt that if Hermione shared his misery again things would be less bad.

"No. She has no relevance to this case and frankly I rather not bring her into any of this."

"To protect her delicate feelings?" Harry sneered; just because Hermione was dating Draco didn't mean the blond had to shield her from this!

"To protect myself from being dragged into this." Draco answered curtly. When Harry didn't say a word he sighed and elaborated, "Look, I'm your arguer, and it's bad enough that everyone knows we're friends, if I bring Hermione into this and have her testify that Weasley showed up at her office and gave her a hard time over dating me, I'd have to resign from my post altogether because I'd be too involved. Hermione has no relevance to this. Weasley showed up at _your_ shop, threatening _your_ husband, and this is what we have to emphasis."

"Alright, fine!" Harry cried, "It's not like I have much choice, do I?"

"I'm sorry, no." To his credit, Draco did sound like he was sorry about all of this but that didn't make Harry feel any better. At the other side of the house Harry heard the door open and shut,

"Yeah, listen I have to go, Remus and the kids are back." Before Draco had a chance to say anything more Harry shut the phone and tossed it across the bed. Taking a deep breath he tried to plaster on the most convincing smile he could manage before heading to the foyer to greet his family. As soon as Remus saw Harry's face he knew something was not right, but Harry was doing such a valiant effort to hide it from Aaron that Remus let him have his way for a while.

An hour later, after putting Aaron down for his afternoon nap Remus found Harry sitting on the sofa in the living room staring at Hannah-Rose in her playpen. Remus carefully sat next to his husband and pulled the younger man to him, so that the two were stretched on the length of the sofa and snuggled together, watching as their daughter was trying to roll over. Harry wanted so badly to reach and help her but he knew he shouldn't- Hannah-Rose would not get anywhere if he kept doing things for her that she should learn on her own.

"Don't you just want to reach over and turn her?" Remus mused, and Harry let out a small chuckle and buried his face in Remus' shoulder,

"Gods yes! Are we bad parents for not letting her progress in her own time?" Remus shrugged, causing Harry to lift his face,

"As long as we don't actually do it I think we're fine." Tearing his eyes from the baby he turned to Harry, fixing the other man with a stern look, "Do you want to tell me what got your knickers in a twist before?" Harry sighed and laid his head on Remus shoulder again,

"Draco called, he said I have to go and testify about Ron's visit next week." Remus ran his fingers through Harry's hair in a soothing motion,

"I'm sorry, Cailean, I know this is hard for you." Harry hummed, his eyes closing as he let himself be soothed by the fingers working his scalp,

"I just want all of this to be over already, I hate having this hanging over our heads like that."

"It will be over, soon." Remus smiled sadly, one way or another it will be over soon.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry took a deep breath, and then another trying to calm the beating of his heart. He was in the Wizengamot courtroom again and he felt sick to his stomach. After the first day of trials he and Hermione refrained from showing up- he knew that Molly Weasley never missed a sitting but Harry couldn't bring himself to go. It wasn't just the place itself, though it too was causing him to shiver every time he thought of it but it was also Molly's face and words every time she saw him. Gone was the easy smile and concern for his well being and diet. Whenever Mrs. Weasley looked at him these days it was with malice and contempt and hatred and Harry couldn't stand it.

And today was even worse than before, because today he was going to be sitting in front of the entire room and have Veritaserum shoved down his throat and then asked a bunch of questions he didn't want to answer.

"Relax, Harry. Everything is going to be fine; it'll be over before you know it." Harry forced himself to smile tightly at Draco. He was glad there was at least one friendly face in the room but right now Draco was not his best friend he was the person who was going to ask him said bunch of questions he didn't want to answer. Walking stiffly to the podium Harry could feel the gaze of the entire crowd on his back. He hated being the center of attention and after so long in semi hiding he seemed to have lost the remaining of his ability to withstand this sort of scrutiny.

The old witch with the Veritaserum tray was ambling his way and Harry was more aware than before at all the eyes fixed on him and his every movement. Somehow he managed to gulp down the brew without chocking and embarrassing himself further and even succeeded in giving her a tight little smile in thanks for the pumpkin juice. After the customary questions from the Chief Warlock as to his name and house in Hogwarts the hall went quiet and then Draco rose, arranging his robes and parchments for better effect. Harry wanted to roll his eyes. Unlike him Draco loved every bit of attention he got and these moments before launching himself on a witness or a suspect were his to shine.

"Mr. Lupin," He began with a voice that reminded Harry of the young pompous Draco he met on their first year. The Draco that would put on a show whenever there people around to appreciate it. Harry hated that voice. "Do you remember the day of March the third of this year?" Harry took a deep breath, licking his suddenly dry lips,

"Yes, I do."

"Can you tell us about that day?" Harry was feeling like a complete prat. Answering questions so formally,

"It was the day Ron Weasley came to visit me in my shop." Harry studiously refused to look at the audience, and more specifically at Molly. Whatever he was about to say she was not going to like it and he didn't want to see the scorn in her eyes. Instead he fixed his gaze on Draco, drawing comfort from the fact that he knew the man wasn't going to set him up no matter what,

"And what's so special about that?"

"Well, Ron's been in the U.S. for five years, it was the first time I saw him since he left." Draco nodded as he didn't know the whole story by heart, and suddenly Harry wanted to lash out on him and tell him to take the bloody Veritaserum himself and tell the lot of them what really happened in the shop that day. Why couldn't he have just submitted his memories?

"And what did Mr. Weasley have to say when you met him for the first time after five years?" And now they were getting to the crux of things. Harry took a deep breath,

"He was rather upset to find out that I was pregnant." He could hear the entire audience draw a collective breath at his words, and knew this was going to make headlines in tomorrow's paper. Up until this moment neither Harry and Remus, nor any of their friends gave any sort of official statement about Harry's pregnancy or Hannah-Rose's birth. Rumors were running around like wildfire but this was the first and as far as Harry was concerned the last time the issue was addressed officially. Draco waited a heartbeat for the murmur around the hall to die down before he spoke again,

"Upset? How do you mean?"

"Ron was never very supportive of my relationship with Remus and accused him of casting a spell on me to be with him." Harry answered quietly. He hated repeating Ron's vile words, it made him feel angry all over again. Only this time he was in better position to control his magic- at least he hoped so.

"Is it true?" Harry took a deep breath until the urge to hit Draco passed; he really needed to keep his wits about him if he was going to help Remus' case. Blowing his top off was like signing Remus sentence with his own hands.

"Of course not! Remus and I have been together for years." Draco's grey eyes bore into Harry's, silently asking the other to calm. Harry took another breath and briefly closed his eyes, before he turned back to Draco,

"And what happened then?"

"He said that I should be with his sister but I told him that would never happen, then he offered me one of his brothers." Harry spat out the words, as if they were contaminating his mouth. Before Draco had a chance to continue his questioning a shrill voice filled the courtroom,

"Liar! How dare you?" Harry started and his eyes flew to Molly Weasley who stood up and pointed an accusing finger at him. At the top of the courtroom the member of the Wizengamot shifted uneasily, startled themselves by the loud intrusion. The Chief Warlock fixed Molly with a stern look,

"Mrs. Weasley!" He cried, "I would have to ask you to calm down!" But Molly Weasley was only getting started,

"Ron told me what happened, he said that lashed out on him for no reason and nearly killed him!" Harry's jaw dropped in shock, how could she say such a thing? Amos Diggory, the Chief Warlock, apparently had had enough of Molly's behavior and he rose majestically from his seat,

"Molly Weasley!" He roared, finally getting the attention of the woman, who turned wide shocked eyes at him, "This isn't a bar of a tavern! This is a courtroom and if you cannot control yourself you _will_ be removed!" For a second it looked like Molly was going to defy the man but a gentle pull of her wrist by Ginny who was sitting next to her brought her back to her senses and she slumped back into her seat with a sour face. The Chief Warlock kept his gaze on her for a few more seconds before he nodded to Harry, "Please proceed, Mr. Lupin."

"I did lose control over my magic that day," Harry confessed lowly, "because I was angry but I never attacked or harmed Ron in any way. The pregnancy hormones were making my magic unstable." Draco nodded slightly to Harry to indicate he was doing well,

"Thank you Mr. Lupin, no further questions." Instead of feeling a relief that this was almost over, Harry's body tensed and he gripped the armrests of his chair harder- Draco's questions were not a problem, he was on Harry's side after all, but now came the cross examination by someone who was determined to fail him. Mr. Danby, the Weasleys arguer rose from his chair and started arranging his robes and notes, but Harry felt his attempt at looking poised and professional were paling compared to the natural grace and class Draco was oozing liberally.

"Mr. Lupin, do you honestly expect us to believe any of this?" Harry blinked a couple of times, looking desperately at Draco- what sort of question was that?

"Unless you've given me faulty Veritaserum." He found himself answering slowly, his voice tightly control not to let the sarcasm drip out,

"You claim that Mr. Weasley showed at your shop and threatened you?"

"I never said Ron threatened me, I said he was upset about…" Before he could complete his sentence Mr. Danby cut him quite rudely,

"So you _did_ attack my client for no reason." Harry leaned forward in his chair, his whole face flushed with anger,

"I didn't attack Ron!" Before Harry could demonstrate exactly what took place in the 'Sugardust' that day Draco rose smoothly to his feet and turned to address the members of the Wizengamot,

"Is there a relevant line of inquiry here or does my colleague just want to anger my client?" Amos Diggory, the Chief Warlock nodded once,

"Yes, Mr. Danby, please move on to relevant line of inquiry or Mr. Lupin will be released from the stand!" He ordered firmly. Mr. Danby turned and bowed deep to the Wizengamot members, his voice oily and simpering,

"Of course, sir." He then turned back to Harry and his face hardened again, "You're saying Mr. Weasley was upset to find that you were pregnant." Harry nodded,

"He was. He didn't like the fact that it was Remus' baby."

"How exactly did you get pregnant in the first place Mr. Lupin?" Harry gulped, shit! This was not going well at all! Taking a deep breath and formulated the words inside his head before he opened his mouth knowing that under the Veritaserum he couldn't tell any lies and if the man was to dig deep into things he was going to end up saying a lot of things he never intended to,

"Apparently my animagus form is compatible to his wolf." Mr. Danby smiled wide, looking like a cat who just swallowed a canary whole,

"Your animagus form? There is no record of you being an animagus, are you unregistered?" Harry closed his eyes briefly, oh this was bad! But before he could open his mouth Draco rose to his feet again,

"You don't have to actually be an animagus to know what animal you'll turn into. There's a perfectly simple spell for that." Draco said pleasantly to the crowd and Harry wondered for a second if he was going to pull out his wand and teach them all the charm.

"I see," Mr. Danby said, "And when you say that your form is compatible to that of Mr. Lupin I assume you mean your form is that of a wolf?"

"Yes." Harry said cautiously, quite wary of what the arguer might spring on him. He really hated Draco at this moment for not prepping him properly for that vile man,

"So you _were_ under werewolf control!" Mr. Danby called triumphantly, "He couldn't possibly get you pregnant unless there was some sort of dark magic afoot!" Harry bit his tongue and took a deep breath before he fell into the man's trap. If he denied that Remus was using dark magic on him he'll have to explain how he _really_ got knocked up. Lifting his eyes to the crowed he could see Molly Weasley's face contorted into an ugly mask of smugness, it made Harry feel sick to his stomach,

"Remus never put any control spells on me." He said quietly,

"Any yet the fact remains that you, a male, carried his child. Which indicates that there was some sort of werewolf magic involved."

"Remus is not dark!" Harry retorted hotly, feeling completely out of his element. He hated this man and he hated his stupid questions that were designed to make him look bad and undermine his credibility, he wanted to go home and hug his family, "He's been a member of the Order of the Phoenix since it's formation, he's a war hero!"

"He's a werewolf." Mr. Danby said quietly with a smug tone, knowing that he was very close to crack the man in front of him and cause him to slip,

"Not all werewolves are bad!" Draco, who's been sitting back and looking at the show rose to his feet, turning to the Wizengamot again,

"Excuse me, but this really isn't the place to discuss werewolves rights. Mr. Lupin was summoned here today to answer questions about Mr. Weasley's visit to his shop." Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss Draco for saving him or thump him for taking so long in doing it,

"Yes, he was and I believe we have all the information we need." Said the Chief Warlock, "Mr. Lupin, you may step down." Harry nodded and left the podium as fast as he could without running off it and sat next to Draco, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. He barely listened to the Chief Warlock ending the Wizengamot session for the day and simply let Draco drag him out of the courtroom by the elbow. As soon as they stepped into the corridor Harry shook himself up and heaved a great sigh of relief. Since the trial has begun the Wizengamot decided to order the reporters to camp themselves in one corner of the atrium of the Ministry rather than have them loitering around all over the place and so Harry could walk all the way to the atrium freely and hopefully, with a bit of luck, sneak into one of the floo grates before he was tackled.

"You think it went well?" He asked Draco, because to him it felt like his testimony did a lot more harm than good, but Draco smiled and slap him on his back,

"You did brilliantly! Now, you should head home before anyone else asks you questions you don't want to answer." This was a good advice, Harry thought, as the two started making their way down the corridor. Before they made it very far, though, Molly and Ginny Weasley were blocking their path, looking murderous,

"I don't care what vile lies you're going to tell the Wizengamot, it will never work!" Molly hissed in Harry's face, her voice oozing contempt and Harry was taken back a little by the sheer venom in it,

"These are not lies," He said feebly, a little thrown off by the unexpected attack, "I can't lie, I took Veritaserum."

"They say you could throw off the Imperius curse when you were fourteen years old, who knows what you can do with Veritaserum." Ginny said with a sweet smile that was just as venomous as her mother's tone.

"My son is innocent!" Molly cried before either Harry or Draco could react to Ginny's accusation, "It's absolutely preposterous that he is on trial in the first place!"

"He attacked Remus!" Harry yelled back, he was getting fed up with Molly's one track mind and her refusal to see anything beyond her righteous crusade,

"Who is a dark creature, they all ought to be behind bars!" Harry was left flabbergasted by that,

"How can you say that?" He whispered, "You know Remus, you know he's a good man."

"He attacked Ron, the man who's supposed to be your _best friend_!" Molly seemed to have pulled all stops in her anger and was playing every card she had right now, including Harry's guilt and moral compass. Harry could not believe she was actually saying the words that were coming out of her mouth,

"If he was a real friend he would have accepted the choices I made in my life." Harry said quietly,

"We took you into our home, we were your family and this is how you repay us? By tearing us apart?" Harry felt the anger dying in him, and the tears rising- so this is what it had all come down to? Molly Weasley pinning the destruction of her family on him, if it wasn't so tragic it might have been insulting,

"I'm not the one tearing your family apart, you are." He told her gravely, knowing that his respect and love for the woman have been damaged beyond repair,

"How dare you?" Ginny Weasley swept in front of her mother and positioned herself directly in front of Harry, "You're a traitor, a filthy traitor!"

"Oh, I wouldn't be opening my big gob if I were you." Draco said smoothly, surprising the young woman who completely forgot about his presence,

"Shut up, Death Eater scum!" She yelled at him shrilly, "You can't hurt me with your nasty Slytherin lies! I didn't do anything wrong!" A slow, malicious smile spread on Draco's face, and Harry almost rolled his eyes, Draco looked like all his Christmases came early just for him,

"Did you honestly think we wouldn't find out about your little plot?" Ginny's jaw tightened for a second, but she quickly recomposed herself,

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She declared with her head held high, causing Draco's smile to widen,

"I'm talking about the cookies you gave to Harry and that were doused with so many love potions you were more likely to poison him to death than making him fall in love with you." Ginny's face paled considerably under her freckles but she held her head high,

"You can't prove anything." She told Draco, her nose up in the air, Draco smirked,

"Try me!" Before Ginny had a chance to question his statement Draco turned and beckoned the two Aurors that were posted next to the doors of the courtroom to him, "Please take Miss Weasley for questioning on the charges of using illegal potions to try and control Mr. Lupin with." The two Aurors flanked Ginny and grabbed her arms. The young redhead was gaping at Draco, speechless, "Oh, and also charges of slander." He added with a triumphant smile as the Aurors started dragging the stunned Ginny down the corridor,

"What?" Molly, who was just as stunned as her daughter finally found her voice,

"She called me a Death Eater." Draco said with a shrug and a smirk. For a second Molly looked torn between giving Draco a piece of her mind and following her daughter, in the end she pointed her finger at Draco, who looked far from impressed,

"This isn't over yet!" She snapped before storming after her daughter. Draco narrowly resisted the urge to mockingly wave after the two but he couldn't help the satisfied smile from spreading on his face,

"I think you just made them even madder than before." Harry remarked quietly and Draco shrugged,

"Good, they'll be more likely to slip up." Harry wasn't too sure if that was the best course of action but since the cat was out of the bag he had no choice but to roll with the punches. Draco crossed his arms over his chest, he was not overly concerned with the delicate feelings of Molly, Ginny or Harry for that matter, "Besides, they both deserved it!"


	60. Chapter 60

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one.**

**A/N: I've just been to see my friend and her baby girl and the baby is so adorable, her face consists of a pair of big blue eyes and cheeks! She's a blob, she looks pretty much like I imagined Hannah-Rose to look, all plump and cuddly. It was so funny. **

**Wow, can you believe we made it to chapter sixty? And it only took about three years… **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Sixty**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

As Harry feared, the incarceration of Ginny caused Molly to pull all stops in her campaign against Harry and Remus. After Draco had sent the girl with the Aurors for questioning the Wizengamot decided to ship her off to St. Mungo's hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Molly of course saw it as a personal attack on her and her remaining children and started talking to any reporter who would listen to her about how Harry and Remus personally ruined her life and tore apart her family. She gave out interviews 'revealing' Harry's true nature and how disloyal he really was. It was just like fourth year all over again, only this time it was worse- Rita Skeeter didn't actually know Harry, she didn't have him in her home and mothered him for nearly seven years, Molly did and now she was spewing the same hateful lies about Harry and it hurt, so bad.

But Molly wasn't content to settle for just that, she took the gloves off so to speak about werewolves as well. Remus was of course the main target, and Molly didn't spare her opinion on how he was using dark magic to control Harry and even cause him to bare Remus' child. But that didn't stop there- it didn't matter to Molly that her own husband was one of the main supporters of werewolves and dark creatures' rights, and all the hard work Arthur put into promoting the welfare of said creatures was whipped off in one interview. Arthur himself, though a docile man in nature who hated confrontations has had enough of his wife's insanity and moved out of the house to stay with his twin sons, who were also housing Bill for the time being. But Weasleys were all accustomed to packed living arrangements so no one complained.

After about a week of that Remus had forbade Harry to read or listen to anything that was posted on magical media as it put Harry in such a foul mood it took days to get him to settle down. Draco once again called in Pansy to talk some sense into Harry. The two ex-Slytherins felt that Harry's refusal to fight back was going to be his downfall. Molly was gaining so much popularity that people were actually avoiding the 'Sugardust' just because it was Harry's shop. So far business hadn't suffered a severe blow since most of the magical community was far too hooked on Harry and Seamus' cakes to actually stop coming but it hurt to know that people were willing to believe anything the media fed them.

Pansy tried to convince Harry to go public, tell his story and even show his children- a move that was shot down as soon as it came up by both Harry and Remus who flat out refused to drag their children into any of this. After years of dealing with the fickle magical press Harry was more scarred than supportive and he felt that going to the 'Daily Prophet' or any other publication was a weakness and pretty much admitting defeat against Molly. The only one he was willing to consider talking to was Luna Lovegood and the 'Quibbler' but Pansy refused to even hear of it. It was better Harry stayed silent than publish his story in the 'Loony mag' as she called it. And so Harry stayed silent, letting Molly slander his name and tarnish his reputation, feeling that it'll all be worth it once the woman's son was convicted and sent to jail.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Mairead Finnigan hated reporters. She never thought she'd have any sort of feelings towards reporters in general but now she hated them with a passion. They were camping out in front of the shop and were scaring away potential customers with their stupid questions. And since it was revealed that Harry was pregnant and now had a little baby it was even worse. Their numbers have doubled and forced Harry and Seamus to expand the ward against them to a wide circle around the shop entrance that was going almost all the way to the other side of the street.

Mairead sighed and grabbed her watering can harder, she hated going out to water the plants now days but someone had to do it and it couldn't be Harry. Bracing herself against the attack she stepped out of the shop. And sure enough, the second she was spotted by the reporters they all started yelling questions at her, hoping to be heard over the others. Mairead watched as they tried to push against the ward, with no luck and turned to the plant pots that were decorating the entrance to the shop. She will not be sucked into their game; she repeated to herself, she will not. Rolling her eyes on herself she finally turned around and fixed the mass of bodies in front of her with a scorching glare,

"Don't you lot have better things to do? Like report _real_ news?" She yelled at them. If anything, her lashing out only spurred the devils on and they all perked up more than before, light bulbs flashing in Mairead's face,

"Tell Harry to come out here and talk to us and maybe we'll get out of your hair." One brash reporter cried out and Mairead let out a snort,

"Yeah, fat chance of that happening." With that she returned to the shop and closed the door behind her, leaving the reporters to argue amongst themselves whether her picture was good enough for the paper or not. Mairead hoped it wasn't. Once free of the evil reporters she could return to her daily work and made sure the display of treats was ready for the afternoon clientele. The merry little bell above the door announced the first arrival and Mairead looked up, a smile plastered on her face to greet them.

At the door stood a boy, his shoulders hunched and his whole stance defensive. He wore a hooded jumper with the hood pulled low over his face. Mairead was curious. It wasn't everyday that they got people who looked like they stumbled in by accident and would rather by anywhere else but here.

"Can I help you?" She asked kindly. The boy nearly jumped and looked startled at her question. Mairead gave him her most friendly smile, which only caused the boy to hunch further. Mairead rolled her eyes, but waited patiently until the boy lifted his head and found his courage.

"I… can I talk to Harry Potter please?" The boy's eyes suddenly grew wide with fear, "Lupin, I mean Lupin!" He cried as if Mairead was going to strike him for making a mistake.

"Do you have an appointment with him?" She asked as kindly as she could, trying not to scare the strange boy away. The youth shook his head vigorously, trying to fold himself even smaller,

"No…" He confessed lowly. For a second the silence hung in the air, while each side contemplated their next move before the boy took a step forward, lifting his head for the first time to look directly at Mairead, his big brown eyes pleading, "I… Please, I need to talk to him it's very important. I need to talk to Harry Lupin!" He cried. Mairead looked at the boy shrewdly, weighing her options- clearly he wasn't dangerous, or hostile otherwise the ward would have kept him out, and even if he did turned out to be violent, which she seriously doubted, there were three fully qualified adults about, two of which were war heroes.

"Alright. You go sit over there," She pointed at the corner table, fixing the youth with one of her famous glares, "And I'll get Harry for you." The young man nodded, his face twisting in a pitiful attempt of a smile but the relief was clear. As soon as she made sure the boy was sitting and not about to do anything more dangerous than nearly trip over the chair she walked into the kitchen in search of Harry.

As soon as Mairead was gone the boy allowed himself to look around him. The place was warm and inviting and the smells were mouth watering. At the moment there were no other clients about, and he could still see the sea of vultures outside. It was a nightmare to go through them, all firing questions as if he was someone who was of any importance to Harry or his family.

"Hi, I'm Harry." The boy lifted his head, startled. In front of him stood the 'Boy who lived' the savior of the Wizarding world and he gulped. It was one thing to say he wanted to see Harry but it was another altogether to actually do. Harry smiled down at the boy, trying to reassure him before he sat down carefully in the chair opposite him, "What's your name?"

"Sasha." The boy replied, almost whispering and Harry smiled again,

"What can I help you with, Sasha?" Instead of answering the boy seemed to hunch even further into himself and lowered his head. Harry looked around at the deserted shop before he brandished out his wand. First he accio'd some cake over and placed it in front of Sasha, who looked rather startled by it, then he cast some privacy spells around them so that even if someone did come into the shop they won't be interrupted, "It's ok, you're safe in here, you can talk freely, nothing you say will go further, I promise." Taking a deep breath Sasha finally seemed to have found his strength and he pulled his jumper's hood down and opened the zipper, showing Harry his right shoulder. Harry's eyes grew wide, "Oh, shit." The boy quickly covered the nasty wound again and tried to smile,

"I didn't know where else to go and then someone told me that maybe you and Professor Lupin might be able to help." Harry nodded, his eyes still fixed on the now covered shoulder,

"Yes, yes of course." He said somewhat absently. Sasha looked at the man before him who was lost in thoughts, until Harry perked up, "Tell you what, why don't you finish your cake while I make a couple of phone calls to people who could help then we'll head to our home and you can tell me everything." Sasha looked torn for a moment, not sure if he wanted other people in on his secret but from some reason he felt like he could trust Harry and so he nodded slowly. Harry smiled at him and jumped from the table, reaching for his pocket and pulling out his mobile. While he was making hushed conversations Sasha picked up his fork and tried a small bite of the cake. Before he could even contemplate on it he was cleaning the plate with his fingers. "Alright, let's go!" Sasha lifted his head, looking like a deer caught in the headlights before he swallowed hard and nodded slightly. He got up to follow Harry to the fireplace on the other side of the room.

When Remus heard the fireplace go to life he frowned. Harry wasn't meant to get home for a few hours more. Lifting Hannah-Rose to his shoulder after changing her he walked into the living room to see Harry and a strange boy looking flushed and embarrassed, and soot all over the floor. Remus wanted to roll his eyes, even after all these years in the magical world the one thing that eluded Harry was flooing without getting himself knocked on his arse. And by the look of it- he had just found his match in the clumsy department.

"Harry, what's going on? I thought you were working late today?" He asked as his husband took out his wand to clean the mess on the floor and ushered the stranger into one of the armchairs,

"There's someone I want you to meet, Remus, this is Sasha, Sasha- Remus." He introduced the two as he made his way towards Remus to take the baby from him, planting a big kiss on her chubby cheek and presenting her to the boy proudly, "And this is Hannah-Rose." Remus took another good look at the boy, now that he was sitting and his hood was pulled down,

"I know who you are; you used to be my student." Sasha nodded,

"Yes, sir."

"I don't understand." Remus confessed, but before Harry had time to explain the fireplace flared green again and through it stepped Hermione, Tonks and Severus. Harry beamed at the three and quickly introduced the room to each other. "Sasha, they are here to help you. You can trust them. Can you show them what you showed me?" Sasha looked at the slew of people surrounding him, his eyes darting from one to the other. He knew who they were- they were all war heroes and their pictures were all over the papers. Taking a deep breath he pulled his jumper off his shoulder slowly, revealing the nasty looking wound.

"What the hell happened to you?" Remus breathed out, falling back onto the sofa as Hermione rushed to stand behind the teen and examine the wound closely,

"I… It was about a week ago," Sasha started slowly, feeling a little awkward to be the center of attention, "I went out to a pub with my mates, and… there was this girl there, she was alone and when I went to get some more beer she…" His whole face flushed red with embarrassment and he swallowed hard, not entirely sure how to continue,

"Picked you up?" Tonks said kindly, and Sasha nodded, "Yeah, no wonder." Sasha blushed an even darker shade of red while Severus rolled his eyes and let out a distinct cough to get his wayward wife on subject again, "What did she look like?"

"Hmm, she was average in height, I guess," Sasha screwed his face trying to remember, "Dark hair, blue eyes, her skin was very pale and she wore a red dress, flashy one." Tonks, who brandished her ever present notebook, was humming encouragingly as she wrote down the information,

"What was her name?" Sasha shrugged and looked like he was about to cry when he answered her,

"I don't know, she never gave me a name." Sensing his apprehension Tonks gave him one of her wide smiles, the ones she saved to make suspects and witnesses feel at ease while she asked the hard questions.

"Alright, go on, what then?"

"We sort of chatted for a bit and then she asked if I wanted to go with her." Sasha said slowly, his face still flushed, Tonks nodded,

"What time was that?"

"About nine thirty I think. There was still some light outside."

"Where did she take you?" Sasha looked at his hands, he felt really bad for not having the right answers and he felt like a complete idiot for getting into this whole mess in the first place. The one time he needed to think with his brain rather than his cock and he couldn't even do that,

"Some hotel, I don't know, we apparated straight into the room,"

"Did you have sex with her?" Sasha gulped and his whole body seemed to flush this time, before he nodded slightly, "Alright, then what happened?" Sasha swallowed hard and took a deep breath,

"After we… She cast a full body bind on me and them she just stood there for a bit before she… she… changed and attacked me, and I couldn't move or do anything and…" Harry laid a soft hand on Sasha's shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly,

"It's ok, it's ok." He murmured. He could feel the muscles relaxing a little under his touch,

"How did you get out of there?" Tonks asked, but before Sasha could answer Harry stepped in front of him, both he and Hannah-Rose fixing Tonks with a glare, though in Hannah-Rose's case it was accompanied with a toothless grin,

"Tonks! Leave the poor boy alone!" Tonks, on her part, was deep in professional mood and was not about to be intimidated by the likes of Harry, especially not when he was holding his baby who was making faces at her,

"We need all the information we can get if we want to catch that woman!" She informed Harry firmly. Behind her Remus and Severus were both trying to hide smiles. "Sasha, I know this is hard but I only a couple more questions and then we're done." Sasha nodded feebly,

"The spell wore off after a couple of hours and I was able to call in my mate to get me out of there."

"And you don't know where this place is?" Sasha flushed with embarrassment at Tonks question, he was feeling like an idiot as it was and now he was apparently missing out on key details in his story.

"No, my mate apparated straight into the room and then out, I'm sorry…" The boy looked so sorry and sad that Tonks found herself leaning forward and patting his hand reassuringly,

"Don't worry about it." She beamed at him.

"Why didn't you turn to St. Mungo's? You were clearly badly injured." Severus' cold voice was full of disdain and Sasha shrank into himself a little,

"I… I was so scared they'd turn me in or something, I even obliviated my mate so he won't tell anyone."

"Well, your childish insistence on ignoring the problem had caused your wound to infect." Severus snapped and the boy looked just about ready to cry, or soil himself,

"Severus!" His wife turned to him with pursed lips, "Stop harassing the boy!" Severus raised his eyebrow in a challenge but before Tonks could say another word Hermione quipped,

"Don't worry; you're going to be alright. But I want you to stop by my office in a couple of days for a checkup and some more information, alright?" Sasha nodded again, and Hermione smiled at him with pride,

"What's going to happen to me?" He asked, his voice small and somewhat frightened,

"That would depend on what you choose to do." Tonks said kindly, and behind her Severus rolled his eyes,

"Right now you are an unregistered werewolf which means you can get arrested and thrown into Azkaban if they catch you. If you choose to register at the Ministry you'll be entitled to medical care and your case will be dealt with in the Aurors office to try and apprehend your biter." Severus explained in his usual curt tone,

"What about Wolfsbane potion?" Harry asked,

"I'm afraid the Ministry of Magic isn't subsidizing it." Remus watched his husband's face; he could see the wheels turning in Harry's head trying to figure out how to help the boy obtain the potion,

"So… so I should register myself?" Sasha asked, he wasn't entirely sure this was what he was hoping they'd say. But being a registered werewolf? A dark creature? People would hate him on principle, they would fear him just because of this… curse! Gods how he wished he could turn back time and avoid that pub altogether. He wished he could go to sleep and wake up to find out this was all a terrible nightmare and that he was still find and dandy and on his way to great things. Tonks' voice and patting hand brought him back to the gloom reality that was his life now,

"I think it's for the best. And as soon as you do I'll file my report. Once I do that I'm going to need your memory of that night." Sasha nodded again, he was emotionally exhausted, confused and he just didn't care what was going to happen to him anymore.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight?" Harry asked. It took Sasha a couple of seconds to focus back on the conversation and he shrugged,

"I can crash at someone's. I've been living with my parents but I can't go back there." Harry looked like he was about to cry and Remus could tell what would be the next words out of his mouth,

"Why don't you stay here tonight and then tomorrow morning you can go to the Ministry and register." Sasha looked startled at the possibility of staying put, a part of him actually wanted to escape and hide somewhere; pretend that none of this ever happened. But he was smart enough to know that was not the answer, especially in a few weeks when the full moon rolled in again and he would… He shook his head and bit his lip hard; he couldn't even begin to contemplate what was going to happen in a few weeks. For now, it was best to let the others stir him in the right direction and think about it as less as possible.

"I'll send Draco with you to make sure all goes well," Hermione said, patting his shoulder, "He's an arguer." She added proudly. Tonks closed her notebook with a snap and rose to her feet,

"Alright, I think we've got everything covered, so we'll be off. Good luck Sasha." She added kindly. The others said their goodbyes and left via the fireplace. The room suddenly seemed very empty. Harry glanced at Remus who was still sitting in his chair, saying nothing. He should probably have asked Remus before he made the decision to invite Sasha to stay over but he really had no choice. He would just have to get though the afternoon before he had time to discuss things with Remus.

After waking Aaron up from his afternoon nap, Harry sent him to play with Sasha outside while he was taking care of dinner. Remus had been awfully quiet during the entire time, walking around with Hannah-Rose perched on his hip and avoiding making eye contact with Sasha. It was an awkward evening, to say the least and Harry was glad to have everyone finally in bed. He walked into the bedroom to find Remus lying in their bed, pretending to read a book. He knew Remus was pretending because of the way his eyes were unfocused and staring blindly at the page,

"You've been particularly quiet today." He remarked, sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching out to put his hand on Remus' leg. Remus sighted and lowered his book,

"Why didn't you ask me first?"

"I'm sorry, Remus, I just wanted to help. I couldn't very well chuck him out on the street!" Remus shook his head, this was just typical Harry. He couldn't see another person suffering without trying to do something about it. It was endearing, sure, but sometimes it was a little too much,

"Harry, you can't just adopt any stray that comes to our door!" Harry's jaw dropped,

"He's not a stray! He used to be your student!" He argued. Why was Remus so stubborn? It was one night; it wasn't like Harry was filing for adoption papers behind Remus' back! Besides, even if he wanted to Sasha was an adult according to the law.

"So now every ex-student of mine that is in need of something we're just going to take in? Where will it end?" And why on earth do they all have to be werewolves? It was like Harry had made it his life mission to save every last one of them! And all Remus wanted was to have a quiet life with his husband.

"Why are you being so mean?" Harry asked quietly. It wasn't like Remus to be so snappy and judgmental, it was like he was channeling… Snape.

"Why do you have the need to save everyone?" Harry rose from the bed in anger, why was Remus being so thick?

"Because I can!" He cried, "Would you rather I toss out the poor lad to fend for himself? Do you want him to feel like he's got no hope? That's how Fenrir Greyback's are made! Remus, I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I've only just met him myself. I promise I won't bring home any more 'strays'!" Remus looked at his husband, knowing that he'd lost that battle long ago and now it was just a matter of gracefully acknowledging it. Besides, it wasn't like Harry wanted to keep the boy for good- at least not yet,

"I'm sorry too. I'm a little touchy on the subject." Harry sighed, his fighting spirit gone and he crawled under the blankets to reach for Remus.

"I know, I'm sorry." Remus turned to kiss his husband, this was not over, not by a long shot but right now all he wanted was to go to sleep and forget everything else. Like the lunch they had scheduled with Sirius, Lily and James tomorrow. Oh joy…


	61. Chapter 61

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one.**

**RRW, you've read my mind!**

**Been listening to Queen all day, it's Freddie Mercury's birthday and though I listen to them quite a bit it's so sad to think that there will not be anymore new Queen music. Sorry, feeling a little nostalgic today… **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Sixty-One**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

The next day the reinforced Marauders sat down to lunch on the porch of 'Rose Cottage' overlooking the grove and Remus' vegetable garden. Remus had made ratatouille from the garden's bounty that was served with mutton and white rice and some lovely red wine. The five adults and Aaron sat around the table while Hannah-Rose was basking in her padded basket gumming her toy giraffe happily. Harry was just finishing telling his family about what had taken place yesterday, while Remus pushed bits of meat around his plate with his lips pursed tight,

"So, where's the boy now?" Lily asked curiously, "Or has Remus kicked him out already?" Remus snapped his head,

"I didn't kick him out! I wouldn't do that!" He admonished Lily, his voice hurt. No matter how he felt about Harry's over philanthropically urges he was not going to cast out a defenseless new werewolf. Sasha had gone to the Ministry that morning with Draco, who then took him to lunch, "I just think there has to be a better place for this than our house."

"What, like a home for runaway werewolves?" James asked, snorting at his own words, Sirius grinned wide but Harry and Lily snapped up, looking at each other with wide eyes, "What did I say?" James asked cautiously, he hated when they did that,

"That idea ain't half bad," Lily said slowly, running the options in her mind. Harry nodded in assent,

"Of course it's a brilliant idea, it's mine." James flashed a blinding smile at the table. "What idea would that be?"

"A home for werewolves." Harry said with a triumphant smile, it was beyond brilliant. "This way they'll have a place to go to, and I bet we could get Hermione and the lot to give hours there to help out!"

"Wow, hold on a tick," Sirius said, trying to ground the conversation back to earth before Harry and Lily got too carried away, "Who's going to run this shtick? Lily and James are officially dead and we don't really have the time."

"Why?" Lily asked with a frown, Sirius and Remus had nothing _but_ time on their hands these days,

"Hello, we're going to open a pub, we won't have time to deal with this." Sirius replied haughtily, only to have Lily wave a dismissing hand at him,

"Oh, please. You two can't even make up your minds about whether the place should be a pub or a bar, you're nowhere closer to 'open a pub' than you were a few months ago when you came up with this lame idea! This center is a terrific idea to keep you two busy _and_ do something good for society."

"Plus, this way Harry won't invite them here all the time." James piped in, now fully on board with the idea, once he understood it.

"I think Remus is upset he invites them in here in the first place," Said Lily shrewdly, her eyes fixed on Remus who refused to look at her, "But you see, Remus," She added in a sweet tone that was more reproving than a shout, "You brought it on yourself when you married the most compassionate man on the planet."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, raising his wineglass at Harry, "How _did_ you become this way? It certainly did not come from your parents." He grinned wide and then ducked to avoid the pieces of bread tossed at him by the offended Lily and James, while the rest of the table was laughing.

"You know, you guys can start up the center in Grimauld Place, no one is using it." Harry said thoughtfully once the table settled down, "There's tons of space there and you won't have to buy a new house."

"You've got a point there, Harry," Sirius said, suddenly serious, "The place is costing quite a bit to keep in shape at least this way it'll be worth the money."

"Remus," Lily said in a voice that caused Remus to flinch a little, so far he managed to stay out of the conversation but he knew his time was coming and all hopes of the others forgetting he was there were gone in that instant, "You've been awfully quiet, but you're not going to get out of this that easily, you should really start using your fame and name for something that will benefit others."

"When did I become the patron saint of werewolves?" Remus grumbled a little, they were right, all of them but it didn't make it any less hard for him,

"Oh, that would be pretty much when you decided to go public with your relationship with my son." James said happily, and Remus rolled his eyes- if he wanted to keep his werewolf status under wraps and pretend it didn't exist apart from that one night a month he definitely should have gone for a relationship with someone else. But then again, he couldn't see himself with anyone else but Harry.

"I've been trying to run from this curse my entire life only to have it coming back to bite me in the arse." He muttered,

"You weren't running far enough," Sirius pointed out, "You adopted Aaron and you went to do that thing in Spain, and you loved it."

"Think of it this way," Lily chimed in, they were this close to cracking Remus up, they needed to push just a little bit more, "You are the most famous werewolf in the UK, you're a war hero and you were one of the most respectable teachers in Hogwarts, easily the best liked. You should cash in on this face for something good."

"And you better do it fast," James added, "Before Molly Weasley destroys what's left of it."

"You could be a hero to all werewolves." Harry said with a soft smile, looking lovingly at his husband and Remus had a suspicion he was already trying to translate the look into something they could use in bed. Hopefully it won't involve a cape of any sort,

"A super hero!" Lily yelled happily and Remus wanted to punch her, because now the idea of a cape was definitely on the table.

"Super Moony!" Sirius was laughing heartily at the idea, probably picturing Remus with a cape as well. Remus wanted to throw something at Lily.

"Alright, we'll do the center," Cheers erupted around the table. Remus raised his hand dramatically to ask for silence, "But! We're going to work on that name."

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

Harry had been cautiously optimistic about the center- or rather about how well will Remus, Sirius, Lily and James work together, because if it was anything like the pub idea it was going to take years before they made any sort of progress. But to immense surprise it turned out that when they put their minds to it, the Marauders were actually a very well-oiled machine and could make things works even if they weren't pranks.

The first thing they decided (not without a healthy amount of fighting of course) was the layout of the house. They have decided to leave the kitchen as is and turn the ballroom into the great room of the center for everyone to meet. The library and drawing room were kept small and intimate for those who were fed up with the noise downstairs. The main problem was the bedrooms- after a few days of debating, fighting, cursing and hexing each other they finally agreed on turning the first floor into two large dorm rooms, one for boys and one for girls to give the younger werewolves a sense of belonging and not having to spend the nights alone. While the two upper floors were kept as separate rooms for families or people who were notoriously unsocial.

Harry, on his part was just happy to see Remus put his energy into something good. It seemed like everyone in the house had a routine, even Hannah-Rose, while Remus was wandering aimlessly trying to fit in somewhere. Now he was working outside of the house and having actual things to do rather than try and cajole Aaron and Harry into playing with him at odd hours. In fact, everyone seemed very pleased with the center's idea. Pansy started to push the idea onto the media, doing her best to counteract all the awful things Molly had said about Harry and Remus without Harry and Remus actually talking to anyone- which they still refused to do. Hermione, Draco and Tonks were very excited about the idea too and agreed to put in hours quite happily. Severus of course grumbled and complained to anyone who'd listen but everybody, including himself, knew he didn't have much choice.

Even the Ministry was taking quite an interest in the project, especially Arthur Weasley who publically gave his endorsement to the project as soon as he heard of it. Molly Weasley nearly had an apoplectic seizure when she heard that but Arthur was quite firm in his standing. In fact, he filed for divorce three days after the article of his support was published. The rest of the Weasley family was actually happy about it- the tension between Arthur and Molly in the last couple of weeks was not healthy, especially not for poor Arthur's heart. Now that things looked final enough Arthur decided it was time to find a place for himself and stop hogging his twin sons space so he rented a small townhouse not far from the Ministry. The boys decided Bill was to shack with him for a while to keep an eye on him until they were sure he was not going to have another heart attack or a stroke when the reality of being a 55 years old and newly divorced after over 30 years of marriage, not to mention having two out of seven children incarcerated will finally sink in. But for the moment the person who was taking the Weasley's separation the hardest was actually Harry who of course blamed himself for the whole mess.

But the truth was Arthur was the happiest he'd been in quite a while. Ever since Molly declared a war on Harry and Remus' relationship, way back when they were all living in Grimauld Place and getting ready for war Arthur felt that something was cracking in his little happy kingdom. He loved Harry as one of his own, and he refused to join his wife in the destruction of the boy. He was also quite supportive of both Bill and George, claiming his sons should be happy with whoever they chose to be with rather than be alone for the rest of their lives just to appease Molly's homophobic nature. Since he left 'The Burrow' Arthur has had time to reconnect with his sons, and even renew his connection to Percy, whose been steadily growing closer with his brothers the more their mother rejected them. All in all Arthur knew he was doing the right thing for him and eventually even Harry would stop blaming himself for everything gone wrong in the world.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

The bell above the front door of the 'Sugardust' rang merrily and Mairead lifted her head with a smile to greet the new costumer. She watched curiously as the tall, gangly man walked in, looking around him and nodding to himself with a small smile.

"Can I help you?" She asked, this man was acting rather strangely and she didn't really want him wondering around the place like that. Not until she figured out what he really was after. The man walked over to the counter, smiling broadly,

"Is Seamus or Harry about?" He asked, his smile faltering a little by the hard look in Mairead eyes,

"Are you a werewolf?" It wasn't an unreasonable question, since the idea of the center had been made public three people have already showed up at the shop asking about it.

"Hmm, no…" The man suddenly looked nervous, like he might have stepped into the wrong place, "My name is Neville, I used to go to school with Harry and Seamus." He said with a small voice, this woman freaked him out, Seamus said she was fun but right now she scared the hell out of him and he felt like he was school again. But as soon as he mentioned his name, Mairead's face lit up and she smiled broadly,

"You're Neville? The famous Neville? Why didn't you say so?" She cried and rushed around the counter, "You sit yourself here and I'll go get them!" Neville smiled tightly as he did what he was told.

"Neville, you bastard!" Neville had just about enough time to stand up before he was assaulted by Seamus' bear hug, "You didn't say you were coming!" The Irish man accuse with a wide smile,

"It was kind of a last minute thing…" Neville managed to say while his ribs were thoroughly massaged by his two best friends and his lungs squeezed tight, "Hi Harry."

"It's good to see you mate," Harry said earnestly, "You look… tan."

"Is the baby here?" Neville asked excitedly, and Harry smiled, it was nice to know that even people who had far more exciting life scurrying the most remote jungles of the world looking for strange and exotic plants were enthusiastic about his baby, "Seamus' been writing none stop about her!"

"I'll go get her!" Seamus cried happily and bounded into the kitchen where Hannah-Rose was left in the care of Mairead. Harry rolled his eyes, this why he didn't usually bring his baby to work- Seamus was even worse than Aaron when it came to treating her as some sort of a game. But Remus' been busy with his center and Harry volunteered to take her with him at least until the renovations in Grimauld Place were done and Remus and he could split days in taking her with them.

"Why don't I get you something to eat, chocolate that was your favorite, right?" Neville nodded, he was so glad to see his friends, after so long isolated in the jungle it was nice to see people that were not his wife or his crew. Especially when they were old friends. Seamus came back from the kitchen holding Hannah-Rose who was looking curiously around her. She was wearing a particularly cute overalls with a little elephant on the front that made her look even more plump than usual,

"Ooh, she's so cute!" Neville gushed and reached for baby's cheeks, ready to poke and see if the felt as soft and squishy as they looked,

"Yeah, we think so too." Harry said with a wide smile as he brought three plates to the table,

"Don't let her grab your fingers," Seamus warned, "She'll chew on them, she hasn't got teeth yet but it hurts." It was true, since Hannah-Rose was teething she tended to put pretty much everything in her mouth to ease the itching in her gums- that included her toys, people's clothes and if she was lucky- their fingers.

"Neville, sit down," Harry said, knowing that if he left it to Seamus they'd be standing there staring at his baby all day. "Tell us what's going on! Where's Hannah, don't tell me you've left her in a jungle somewhere!" Neville shrugged,

"Only if you call Madame Malkin's a jungle. She'll be right in, her sister is getting married and she's being fitted for robes." Seamus, who had been in the middle of taking a bite of his cake, and busy pouting at Harry who took away the baby after he tried to feed her cake, frowned at Neville,

"Wait, if you knew Hannah's sister was getting married why didn't you say you were coming earlier?" Neville looked down at his fork thoughtfully for a second,

"We didn't really know. It's a shotgun wedding; we were called in before the bride started to show." He explained with a shrug,

"So you guys just took off and came back here?" Harry asked, trying to get his grabby baby's hands away from the sharp utilities. Gods, she was being a little hellion already, what will happen when she started crawling?

"Well, sort of…" Neville looked down again, before he sighed and looked at his friends, "Our research kind of hit a dead end, we were going to head back anyway to raise some more money for our project. So we're going to be here a couple of weeks in the least." Seamus' face lit up and he reached over the table to high-five Neville,

"Brilliant!" The bell above the door rang again and the three looked over to see Hannah Abbott-Longbottom walking in, her blond hair no longer plaited but cut short and rather stylish and her skin delicately tanned, accentuating her freckles. The boys waved her over to their table enthusiastically and a new round of hugs began,

"Nev been telling us about your pregnant sister." Seamus said conversationally and Hannah rolled her eyes in exasperation,

"Gods, don't remind me! What a nightmare!" She complained loudly as she pilfered Neville's plate, "My parents are freaking out."

"Why?" Harry asked, "How old is she?"

"Last year in Hogwarts." Neville said meaningfully and the others winced in sympathy for poor Hannah and her parents.

"But enough about that," Hannah said briskly, "I want to hear all about you baby Hannah!" She eased the baby out of Harry's arms and started making faces at her, sticking her tongue out at her when Hannah-Rose did it, "You are so cute!" For a minute or two everyone looked as the two Hannahs interacted until the older one looked at the three men and smiled, "So, what's going on around here, except for you fabulously successful shop of course? I see the press is still after you." She indicated with her head at the shop's entrance where the reporters could still be seen camping outside.

"It's because of the trial," Harry explained, and it's getting worse, they're pure vultures."

"How is the trial going?" Hannah asked, "I've read some of the stuff Molly Weasley been saying in the papers, it made me want to hex all that stupid Weasley red hair right off her head!" She said angrily, she couldn't believe it when she actually read it if it wasn't for Molly's picture and the venom in her eyes.

"Thank you." Harry said earnestly, it was always nice to have supporters. Especially ones that knew both him and Ron and could have easily taken Molly's side of things.

"Remus would never put any sort of dark magic on you," Hannah continued with conviction, "You're far too powerful for that, besides, whoever can create such an adorable baby can't be evil!" She concluded her argument with brushing her fingers on Hannah-Rose's cheek, only she wasn't quick enough and the baby grabbed her finger and stuck it in her mouth, biting down hard, "Ouch!"

"You were saying?" Seamus said in between snorts of laughter, and Hannah pulled a face at him,

"So, Harry, Seamus been telling me you guys are opening up a help center for werewolves." Harry nodded proudly,

"It's actually Remus who's in charge, with the help of Sirius and my parents. It's going rather well so far." So far as in, they still haven't opened the place- anything could go wrong with those four in charge after all.

"That's such a great idea." Neville said, and Hannah nodded,

"Yeah, I wish we could help out while we're here. Do you guys need a couple of herbologists around?" Seamus suddenly dropped his fork loudly, causing the table to jump up,

"Merlin's garters!" He cried, "I have the best idea ever! You know that horrible back garden in Grimauld Place?" Neville nodded, he remembered the place from when he was living in the house during the war, "You guys can set it up to grow the wolfsbane potion ingredients there!" Harry smiled wide, it was a brilliant idea- growing at least some of the ingredients in center itself would help lower the cost of the potion and make it more accessible to all who needed it.

"We could, we have the time," Neville said slowly and looked at his wife for confirmation, Hannah smiled and nodded, "Great, we're in."

"Guys, thank you!" Harry said with awe in his voice, it wasn't every day that people just volunteered to help with a center to potentially dark and dangerous creatures, especially not those who've been reading the papers and Molly Weasley's campaign. Perhaps it was a good thing Neville and Hannah spent so little of their time in the UK. "Hey, you could maybe apprentice someone so they can take over when you go back to wherever it is you go?"

"Papua New-Guinea." Hannah said flatly,

"Yeah, there." Neville lay a comforting hand on his wife's knee, it wasn't worth the energy, Harry was never good at geography, it was considered a success if he could point out Germany on a map of Europe.

"Sure, we'd love to. Who did you had in mind?" Seamus and Harry exchanged a look and nodded,

"Sasha," Seamus said, "Definitely. He's a new werewolf and a total cutie." Harry rolled his eyes,

"Down boy." He muttered, "That is so brilliant of you to do that. I'll get you in touch with Remus and Severus."

"S-Snape?" Suddenly Neville looked nervous; like he was reverting to the boy he was in their first year in Hogwarts. Now it was Hannah's turn to roll her eyes,

"Nev, it's been six years, let it go." Neville gave his wife a pouty look,

"Fine, then you deal with him. I'll take Remus."

"You're such a coward sometimes," His wife informed him, "You're just lucky I love you so much!" She added and dropped a little kiss on Neville's nose that caused the tall man to blush brightly and smile happily as if it was the first time they've met.

"Hey, how about we have dinner together? I'll invite Dean; it'll be like old times!" Seamus cried happily, gods he was just flowing with great ideas today! He was definitely on a roll,

"Yeah, except for Ron not being there." All the smiles vanished from the table at Neville's words and Hannah, not too discreetly stomped on her husband's foot, "Shit, Harry, I'm sorry." Neville winced in pain,

"It's ok," Harry brushed it off but it was clear their happy conversation was soured beyond repair, "Listen guys, we've got to get back to work, you can stay here and have some more cake or hop into the kitchen to see what we're up to." He said as he and Seamus rose to their feet, Harry reached over for his baby but Hannah wasn't relinquishing control so easily,

"Can I keep her here with me for a bit?" She asked sweetly, and Harry smiled back,

"Only if you promise to bring her back before you leave." Hannah smiled angelically at Harry, who immediately frowned, before she smacked a loud kiss on the baby's cheek,

"I'll think about it."

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

**A/N:** I don't know how it is in your family but in mine we usually eat ratatouille with mutton and rice. It's good.

Do any of you know Sophie la giraffe? It's a classic toy giraffe made of rubber that you give to babies to chew on when they're teething. It's awesome. Ok, I've started working in a baby clothes and toys shop, so I know about all this stuff way more than I ever wanted…

Neville and Hannah spend most of their time in the jungles looking for useful plants. It's an awesome job that I wish I could do (If anyone is hiring, I'm there, I've got the degree in plants and environment too)


	62. Chapter 62

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one.**

**Yes, it's not a mistake; I did update less than a month since my last time. It's hard for me to believe it myself… **

**This is the penultimate (always wanted to use this word) chapter! The next one is already done so I'll probably post it on the weekend or early next week. Enjoy. **

**Mini-Moony- chapter Sixty-Two**

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

It's been over three months since Ron's trial opened and Remus was starting to lose hope. He didn't tell anyone but he started to look at the world with different eyes- eyes of a man who knew his end was near. Suddenly everything seemed so much more important, like his children's smiles, or laughter or even their tantrums and tears. He wished his baby girl will grow a little bit faster so that he could see her walk and talk and call him 'daddy', or see Aaron starting at Hogwarts. He knew that his children will grow up to be strong and smart, he trusted Harry to educate them well- he just wished they could remember him years in the future.

He trusted Draco to do all in his power to bring him justice, but Remus was old enough and scarred enough by life and the magical society to know that right now it was his word against Ron's and even without Molly's glorifying campaign of her son he was still in a much higher position than Remus. The help center was a very noble idea and with a bit of luck it'll be a success and an inspiration, and it would also be his living legacy. But the fact remained that he was classified as a dark creature and those didn't usually get a happy end.

Remus did his best to keep his dampening spirits to himself, there was no point in upsetting his family before things were final but secretly he started saying his goodbyes. It was so depressing to know that he couldn't even return as a ghost to help his family as Lily and James did since dark creatures were usually sentenced to have their bodies killed as well as their soul being sucked away by the Dementors. Once they had a legitimate reason (or one they deemed legitimate) to kill a dark creature the 'normal' magical folk were not too keen on leaving them any possibility of returning in any form.

Harry watched as his husband leaned over Hannah-Rose's crib, smiling sadly at his daughter. Remus' been doing this for a while now and frankly it started to freak Harry out. Remus would just sit there and look at his children while they slept with a sad smile on his face and silent tears running down his cheeks on more than one occasion. What bothered Harry the most was the fact that Remus didn't come to talk to him about what was bothering him. That, and the constant wondering whether Remus was watching _him_ when he was asleep, as well.

Harry was still trying to figure out the best way to tackle this new development when Remus stepped into their bedroom one evening to find Harry desperately trying to get Hannah-Rose to sleep, and his baby daughter putting on a valiant effort not to.

"Harry, can we talk?" Harry lifted his head and gulped, this was _the talk,_ he just knew it. Nodding his head slowly he returned to look at the baby on the bed. She was gurgling happily at him, flailing her limbs around. "I want you find someone after I'm gone." Harry's head snapped in shock and his jaw dropped,

"What?" Whatever was eating at Remus these days, this was not what Harry expected. A sharp pain to his jaw caused him to look down at his baby who was still flailing around, and kicking him in the chin as it happened. He rubbed the sore spot and pouted at his baby who stuck her tongue out at him. Remus came to sit on the other side of Hannah-Rose and picked her up, cradling her close to him.

"We both know this trial isn't going to end well. It's my word against Ron's and no one is going to take my word." Harry felt the sting in his eyes, it was so unfair!

"You don't know that!" He argued hotly, he was not going to lose hope and if Remus was losing it then he'd have to make sure he believed for the both of them! "Remus…"

"I have to be ready for the possibility of losing. And if I do, please make sure they execute me and not give me the kiss." Harry shook his head; he was not going to listen to this sort of defeated talk!

"Stop!" He cried, raising his hand, "You can't talk like that! No, I'm not going to let it happen!" He rose to his feet, and started to pace, like he did whenever he was upset and ready to lash out his magic. Pacing around usually distracted him enough to keep his magic in.

"Cailean," Remus said quietly, trying to remain reasonable in a very unreasonable situation, "You are a very powerful wizard but some things, like the Wizengamot are even more powerful than you."

"We'll run away!" Harry cried, not listening to a word his husband was saying, "We'll move to New-Zealand! Nobody is going to be looking for us there, it's too bloody far!" Remus shook his head sadly,

"And have our children grow up as refugees? I can't ask you to do that."

"I'm not asking. I'm offering." Harry said, he stopped pacing and turned to face Remus, "The kids will be fine, no matter where we are." Remus shook his head again,

"I can't." Harry raked his hand through his hair, Remus was being… defeated, that was not like him at all and frankly it scared the hell out of Harry,

"So you're just going to give up?" He asked quietly, not sure he wanted an answer to that,

"I'm not giving up." Remus insisted, "I'm being realistic! I hate this, I hate that we can't get a break and that there's always someone out to get us and I just don't know how we can get out of this one!" He admitted. Harry stopped on his tracks, looking at Remus. His husband had always been the strong one, the rock, and seeing Remus this uncertain and scared seemed to finally cement in the fact that there was a real chance he might lose Remus. Harry sat down heavily on the bed, wrapping his arms tight around his husband and daughter and breathed in slowly, trying to hold back tears,

"I'll talk to Draco," He said, "There must be _something_ we can do; I'm not letting you leave me again so easily." Remus chuckled softly, his voice slightly watery. He laid his head over Harry's shoulder, hoping beyond hope that Draco had a trick up his sleeve to get this nightmare over with.

**..o0o.. ..o0o.. ..o0o..**

"Draco, we need to talk." Draco lifted his head from the papers he was reading to look at Harry standing in his office. He knew he told his secretary that Harry had free access to his office whenever he needed but that was only because he knew Harry wouldn't use it. Usually he just burst through the fireplace, and that, at least, was entertaining.

"Why so serious?" He asked as he mentioned Harry to take a seat,

"I need to know where we stand, trial-wise." Draco shrugged,

"Nothing much has changed to be honest." It vexed Draco that the trial was still running at all, if he could only stick Ron in Azkaban and be done with it he'd be happy, but the fact that Remus was a werewolf changed the rules of the game and suddenly Ron had leverage even though he was clearly in the fault.

"What are our chances of winning?" Harry asked quietly, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer, but for Remus' sake he had to.

"Well, Mrs. Weasley is putting quite a spin on things and your reluctance to respond is weakening your social standing and makes you look a bit cowardly that you won't face her. The help center is a brilliant idea and Pansy is hard at work at promoting it which will do wonders for both you and Remus' statues." Harry shook his head in frustration,

"But none of this should affect the Wizengamot!" He cried, it was so unfair that the trail should stand or fall on whether he was willing to whore himself to media or not.

"But it does." Draco said gravely, he didn't like this any more than Harry did but he was smart enough to know how to play the game, something that Harry refused to do. Draco had a lot respect and admiration to Harry for not getting sucked into the vicious game of the press but at the same time he felt his friend was antagonizing potential allies. But that had been Harry's choice and he was to be admired for sticking to it, if nothing else. "Harry, the Wizengamot members don't live in a vacuum- what goes on outside does have an effect!"

"So are you saying that I should whore myself and my family to those vultures like Molly Weasley does? This is what's going to win the case for us?" Harry was enraged Draco would even suggest something like this! It was completely preposterous, _and_ insulting!

"Harry, it's not that simple, the Weasley's arguer is trying to delay things and stall the trial as much as possible to allow Molly Weasley to spread her poison."

"And what are _you_ doing?" Harry didn't mean to make it a direct accusation but he was frustrated and worried and Remus was losing hope and he just wanted this mess to be over with.

"Whatever I can!" Draco snapped. He knew it wasn't Harry's fault but he wasn't very good at diplomacy, especially when people insulted his work. Harry held Draco's gaze for a moment before he sighed and pushed back into his chair,

"I'm sorry." Draco bit his lip; it was no fun when Harry looked like a kicked puppy,

"Look Harry, I know that you're worried…" Harry snorted at that,

"Worried? Worried? Draco, the love of my life, my husband could receive a bloody Dementor's kiss! And I'll be damned if I let a scum like Ron Weasley ruin my family!" He cried, punching his fist on the armrest. Draco smiled; the more shit Ron pulled that alienated him from Harry the more pleased Draco was. Ron Weasley had been the thorn in his side ever since he first met the boy back in their first year in Hogwarts, when Harry preferred Ron's hand in friendship over Draco's hand. Of course now they were best friends and Ron was out of that picture but still, Draco felt a little triumphant every time Harry admitted that Ron wasn't a good friend as he always wanted to believe.

"What else can we do?" Harry shrugged, he knew squat about how the law worked but if even Draco was helpless than it was time to brainstorm the craziest ideas,

"How about the Toad?" Draco looked up suspiciously,

"What about her? Her trial is over."

"Did she receive the Kiss already?" Harry asked, he wasn't entirely sure where he was going with this but he was working on it as he went along,

"No, not yet. These things take time and a lot of red-tape." Draco said. He looked at Harry's face with fascination- he could see the entire thought process on the other man's face, it was amazing,

"Well, can you make her a deal then?"

"What do you mean a deal?" Harry shrugged, could it be that Draco was not familiar with the concept of offering someone a deal to nark on someone else? Bloody wizards! That was probably the reason Sirius was in jail for so long!

"You know, like in muggle films, you offer her something better than the Kiss if she'll testify against Ron." Draco looked fascinated; the novelty of the idea spoke to his rebel soul. If he could pull this sort of thing off he'll go down in the history of magical law as a man who wasn't afraid to use unorthodox methods. If he'll play his cards right he would be a hero!

"What sort of things fall under 'better offer'?" He asked Harry, who looked a bit lost after he told Draco his brilliant idea,

"I don't know, like reduced sentence or something." He tried to remember what they did in all those cup shows that Remus liked so much but the truth was he was never into that sort of thing; he was much more into comedies and medical series.

"That is certainly an unorthodox idea… But I can't just give her things- that's illegal." Draco said pensively, already trying to figure out how he could make it work with the Wizengamot.

"Look, I don't know how it works, but it's worth a shot, muggles do it all the time!" Harry said, now getting a little desperate. It was pretty much his only idea other than using mind control spells on the Wizengamot members and Draco was just being difficult with his insistence on being rational! It was like talking to Remus! "I bet Hermione could explain all of this much better than me." Draco rolled his eyes, even after all these years Harry was still relying on Hermione to save his arse when it came to things he didn't know and didn't feel like researching himself.

"Alright, alright, don't get your knickers in a twist, I'll talk to Hermione and look through some books to make sure we're not digging ourselves in. I'll let you know in a couple of days." Harry would have preferred to know right now, so that he could prepare himself to the outcome but he had no choice but to node,

"Thank you."

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Two days later Draco called and said that with Hermione's help they managed to convince Amos Diggory to let them offer the Toad a deal. 25 years in Azkaban instead of the Dementor's Kiss. Harry was not entirely pleased with the deal but if it meant that Remus would go free he was willing to accept it. He also showed up for the next session to watch the downfall of Molly and Ron.

The Toad was given the Veritaserum and under its influence admitted that Ron approached her with the offer to take Remus down. The Toad's job was to distract Harry so that he wouldn't go and search for Remus, leaving Ron free to finish him off. But she couldn't resist cursing Harry when she learned he was carrying the devil's spawn, as she called it. The Wizengamot decided to send Ron to Azkaban for 12 years- the maximum penalty for hurting a dark creature. Nor Harry nor Remus cared how long Ron was going to be put away, they were just happy it was over, and with the best outcome. Molly Weasley didn't take her son's fate lying down and started a riot in the hall, until Aurors were called in to remove her, screaming and kicking and administer calming potions to her.

Following the incarceration of her son Molly Weasley had retired from the public eye, too tired to fight anymore. She enclosed herself in her home at 'The Burrow' and refused to talk to anyone, including her own family. The Weasley boys (save, of course, Ron) were not too bothered by that, even though Arthur had tried on several occasions to convince them to go and talk to their mother. Molly singed the divorce papers without giving Arthur any trouble but after the signing refused to see or speak to him as well. She even changed her name back to Prewett, her maiden name.

The media circus seemed to reach new levels of insanity and Harry decided to issue an official statement to all the major publications. It was his first and last voluntary appearance in front of the reporters, saying that he and Remus were happy that justice has been done and that he was truly sorry that Molly had chosen the path she has during the trial. It took about three months for the press to finally move onto something else and truly leave them alone. One reporter even tried to break into Azkaban to talk to Ron and The Toad and 'get their story'. Harry was infinitely glad when the improvised camp of reporters around his shop finally moved on to bother someone else.

The Werewolf Help Center officially opened about a month after the end of Ron's trial, and within 24 hours of its opening had received 16 werewolves who came to ask for shelter and guidance. Remus even agreed to become the 'poster child' of the center and promote it in the press. The place soon became a refuge to other people who'd been classified as dark creatures, it was the only place who tried to actually offer a solution rather than condemn and persecute.

Lily, James, Sirius and Remus were running the place, with the help of Draco, Hermione, Severus, Tonks and several others who donated their special skills to ensure the success of the project. Arthur Weasley had become more vocal in the subject of dark creatures rights and harnessed all of his political weight to the cause. Legislation in the matter was still quite far away but progress was being made.

Life in 'Rose Cottage' were as peaceful as can be, Harry was still very much busy with his shop while Remus was busy with the center. Aaron kept going to Severus for his studies, and succeeded in brewing his first potion by himself right after his fifth birthday. Harry and Remus had been so proud they put a preserving spell on the potion and kept it in the living room above the mental.

Sirius had finally decided to settle down for real and asked Mairead to marry him. Their wedding took place the following May in the courtyard of the center in Grimauld Place. Remus and James stood for Sirius while Seamus walked his cousin down the aisle.

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**A/N:** I know the end is a bit rushed but I just really want to finish this story. So I've summed up all you need to know. There is another chapter- A Seamus letter, five years in the future, you know the drill already.


	63. Chapter 63

**All the legal stuff, summery and notes are on chapter one.**

**Guys, this is it! The last and final chapter! I cannot believe I made it this far, and it only took three years! (Really, the first chapter was posted on September 2008). It's going to be weird for a while, but I've got plenty of new ideas that I need to get out so… **

**There won't be an official sequel to this (I don't really have anything else), there might be a couple of little one-shots from this universe, we'll see if I have the energy to actually write them. **

**I want to thank each and every one of you for reading this story, for putting up with my erratic and extremely sporadic updating, and for all your wonderful reviews. Thank you, thank you, thank you! **

**This is again one of Seamus' infamous letters, five years after- because I wouldn't have it any other way.**

**Mini-Moony- chapter Sixty-Three**

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05.09.2009

Nev, my man, how are you doing? Still crawling through the jungles trying to tell apart one green bit from the next?

This is your yearly report of what is going on back here. It's yearly because you decided to bail on your trip home, just because you found a new leaf? I'll have to have words with your wife, only I think she was even more excited about it than you were… I mean, I've seen a fair share of leaves in my day and let me tell you, they all look basically the same! How exciting can a bloody new one be?

Back here in the 'motherland' (yours anyway) there's a new slew of pseudo nieces and nephews all waiting to see their uncle Nevi and aunty Han-nah… (Can't think of a way to cute this one up… sorry). ANYWAY! Lost has changed since I last wrote to you and since I can't be sure my letters actually reach you and are not being eaten by your plants I'll tell you all.

First off- So glad you decided to give my 3 years old girl a gardening kit! Saoirse, of course, loves the trowel best and our garden looks like we have an infestation of moles! As soon as you show your ugly mug around- you're going to fix it! She's quite the little devil that girl is. Bill and I are thinking she could use with a sibling and soon! And as much as we'd like to pull a Harry (and we don't thank you very much) we're gonna go with the normal gay way- surrogacy, just like with Saoirse. Maybe this time Bill's sperm will win and we'll end up with a redhead. It'll be so bloody wonderful! With the proper name people will think he or she are full Irish!

Speaking about Harry, you have got to see his new baby! Remember how we thought that Hannah-Rose was chubby as a baby? Noah is about twice the size she was. I'm telling you, if those two keep on reproducing they're going to end up with a little elephant in a couple of kids! But they sure are cute, and very much cuddly.

Oh, OH! Big news! You know Hermione? The girl who's petrified by the mere mention of kids? Guess what? She's pregnant! She said that it was Draco's fault and that he was pushing very hard on the subject of children until she finally caved in. if you ask me the two got drunk one night and forgot to use protection. Bloody breeders. Anyway, now there's a very perplexing and much anticipated girl on the way (perplexing to her mother, anticipated by her father) and the only thing left for Draco to do is try and wear Hermione down on the subject of marriage- I say he should stock up on firewhiskey.

Also in the 'up the duff' department- my lovely cousin Mairead and Sirius are expecting- twins no less. More Finnigans to spread around! We're going to take over the world, one kid at the time! Which leaves us with 2 more kids to complete the collection- Edison, the little devil child of George and Fernando who is only two years old and already takes after the Weasley twins. I say- sedative potions, they never hurt anyone. Probably.

And of course there's Claire, Severus Snape's girl who may look all Tonks but has all the personality of her father- yeah, you can imagine just how much fun she is…

That's pretty much all I've got in that area- but the way things are going here, by the time you read this there may be a few more cropping up. BTW, what about you? No buns in the oven? You didn't adopt an entire tribe of natives down there, have you?

The shop is doing great, we won another award and we're about to explode with pride and self-importance, but we'll try not to, at least not all over this parchment… I'm sure you'll be thrilled to learn that the garden you guys planted in the center's yard is absolutely amazing. Sasha turned out to have the greenest thumbs I've ever seen; you guys might want to recruit him on your 'team leaf'. Of course you'll have to go through Pansy Parkinson first, and she doesn't share well! Who would have thought our little Pans will grow up to be a cougar?

The center itself is booming and blooming and nowadays deals with every and all dark creatures that show up at their doorstep. In fact, it's so successful that the Ministry is now fully sponsoring the place and that means they can employ Severus as a full-time potions master and lower the costs of wolfsbane potion significantly. And since Fenrir Greyback was finally caught last year and incarcerated and with a bit of luck soon all his cronies will be too hopefully in a couple of years there won't be any new werewolves in the UK. That's a huge success any way you look at it!

What else? Dean finally got some sense and moved to London and had now made it his life mission to sleep with every available girl in town, aided by none other than Fred Weasley. I actually think they are competing on a monthly score and then the loser treats the winner to a fancy dinner. But I'm yet to prove anything; I'll let you know when I find out for sure.

I think that pretty much sums up the people and things you actually care about so…

Oh, sweet Merlin's balls, I almost forgot the best piece of gossip! Arthur Weasley is dating Andromeda Tonks! Yes! The widower Tonks has fallen for the ginger charm! If they actually end up married that would make me related to… Actually it won't change much for me- I'm already married to a Weasley and my cousin in married into the Black family. And I just realized that I'm related to Snape! Bloody hell… I bet you're having a huge laugh at my expense right now, well, to that I say- No cake for you!

So, as you can see our jungle here is also full of life and new discoveries are to be made all the time so you better come back here and explore us too!

Take care not to be eaten by anything (If you haven't already…)

Bye,

Seamus.

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**THE END**

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**A/N:** I guess most of you are quite confused by how Bill and Seamus ended up together. Well, I have an entire arc about this one- Oliver (Seamus' infamous ex) made an order of a wedding cake for the Wood wedding. Seamus, naturally, flipped and refused to do it. Oliver then showed up at the shop to talk to Seamus and as it turned out the wedding was actually his father's not his. Oliver also asked Seamus if they can start over and asked him out. Seamus managed to refuse but just barely.

When he told about this to Adam they realized that while their relationship is comfortable and sweet they don't challenge each other. They decided to break up and stay friends (and pretty much managed it).

Bill entered the story not long after, he came to visit Harry in the shop and found Seamus instead. Seamus was still a little shaken from the whole Oliver/Adam story and Bill was very supportive and comforting. Then Bill returned to Jordan and for a while wasn't heard from. When he came back he and Seamus re-met and hooked up and stayed together ever since. They got married and had a baby girl in 2006. Her name, Saoirse is to be pronounced Sershe. I have a weakness to Irish and Welsh names, I think they're absolutely gorgeous.

This is Seamus' story in a nutshell. I wanted to incorporate it into _this_ story but just couldn't find the right place for it. Perhaps I'll write it separately, we'll see.

When they first met Pansy was 24 years old and Sasha 19. Does that count as cougar?

Quick summing up of all the children: 

Harry and Remus have three children- Aaron, who is now 9 years old, Hannah-Rose who is 5 years old and Noah who is one year old.

Hermione and Draco are expecting.

Seamus and Bill Weasley have Saoirse who is 3 years old.

Severus and Tonks have Cleo who is 9 years old and Claire who is 2 years old.

George and Fernando have Edison who is 2 years old.

Sirius and Mairead are expecting.

James and Lily are doing very well, still busy with the center and driving everyone up the wall.

Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban for trying to poison Harry and Molly has gone into seclusion in 'The Burrow' and refuses to see or speak to any of her children (that are not in jail).

I think that's it, right? We've covered all the interesting people.

Thank you again for sticking with me and I hope to see you all in my next story. Peace out.


End file.
